Batgirl of the Future: Big Time
by Watership's Nightwish Rat
Summary: After stopping Doctor Wheeler, Coba Brooklyn struggles to adapt to the changes in her life. To make things harder, her relationship with her half-brother Terry McGinnis becomes strained once again when an old friend of his, Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow, is released from prison. After a surprising encounter, Coba soon realizes Terry's not the only one who has a history with Charlie...
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:**

**Welcome to the newest Batgirl of the Future installment! *Plays a kazoo* I've been considering working with the episodes "Big Time" and "Betrayal" for quite some time now.**

**Anyway, with this story, I'll be taking a few risks. For example, one subject in this is a really sensitive one that hasn't been used in my stories before; attempted rape. Aside from this difference and some others that'll appear, I'll be trying to get back to certain roots of what this story series had started as: a look into Terry and Coba's sibling bond. Of course their bond will be a bit strained when Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow gets out of prison, but how so this time? That'll be answered as the story goes along.**

**I know I usually post the first chapter the same day as the prologue, but I have no idea when I'll have Chapter 1 completed and posted. Heck, I haven't even **_**started **_**the first chapter!**

**Recommended order of reading:**

**1\. Rebirth**  
**2\. Running Out of Inque**  
**3\. Remember**  
**4\. Eyewitness of the Past**  
**5\. Last Resort**  
**6\. Big Time**  
**7\. The Call**  
**8\. Truth Be Told**  
**9\. In Waves (which doesn't follow any episodes)**  
**10\. What Lies Within (Teen Titans crossover)**  
**11\. Betrayal (Part 2 of Big Time; upcoming)**

**Warning: this chapter discusses an attempted rape. Though it doesn't go into explicit detail to avoid having it be rated M, it could still unsettle others. Viewer discretion is advised.**

**Anyways, please R&amp;R and enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Gotham City**

**May 14, 2037**

A tall, dark-haired woman stood next to a hospital window, looking at the outside world from inside. Her normally calm green eyes were darkened by rage and fear. She had been in a hospital before, but the reason was too painfully familiar. Her daughter was currently fighting for her life in a hospital room, as she had as an infant fighting cancer. _But it's not cancer this time_, the woman reminded herself. _It's something else, something different in almost every way._

Just the night before, the woman had been home alone when a young blonde-haired man broke in. In spite of being in her late thirties, she looked like she was twenty-one, which she could tell was what the man thought she was when he said something about her being "too hot for a university." Before she had the chance to do anything, he had pinned her down on her bed, managing to tie her left hand to the headboard with a tough rope. He was about to tie her other hand when her ten-year-old daughter rushed in suddenly, calling urgently for the woman. It was obvious the small girl somehow knew of her mother's predicament in spite of being at the park almost all day. At the sight of each other, the three of them froze in surprise, with the brief silence broken by the woman screaming to her daughter. "Run, Coba!"

The girl had little time to run before the man left her mother on the bed, almost instantly catching her. He threw the small girl up against a wall. She gasped out in pain as her back collided with the sturdy structure, then slumped painfully to the floor. The man then knelt down, unstrapped the metal brace on the girl's right leg, and hit her repeatedly with it. Seeing her only child in distress, the woman worked hard at her bonds. With each pained cry from the girl came a quicker, more powerful attempt until she finally broke free. A dark rage took over the woman's senses as she charged at her daughter's assailant, thrusting him away from the beaten girl. The man was shocked by his original target's response, his surprise allowing the woman to beat him repetatively. Realizing he could not fight off the enraged mother, he fled the scene, dropping the girl's brace behind him.

The woman knelt beside the injured little girl, her anger transforming into worry. The child was barely conscious, her entire body either bruised or bleeding. Blood was gushing from a laceration on her head. Her mother quickly wrapped a piece of cloth tightly over the wound to staunch the bleeding, then, grabbing a cell phone from a nearby coffee table, called for an ambulance. The girl had fallen unconscious by the time the paramedics arrived, falling deaf to the woman's soft, comforting murmurs.

All through that night, the woman was at the hospital the girl was taken to. She had not been able to sleep, the possibility of not being awake if her child were to pass away egging at her mind. Instead of receiving bad news, however, the news station delivered some good.

The man who attacked them had been arrested.

He and a younger, dark haired boy were arrested for an attempted theft several blocks from where the mother and daughter lived a few hours after he had intruded their home. Although she went to the cops and reported the crime against her and her child, the woman knew that, considering how corrupt the police force in Gotham was in spite of Commissioner Barbara Gordon's efforts to set it right, her report would go unheard since it was not on television. _At least he'll be put away for a while_, she thought ruefully. _Even if he doesn't learn from this, he won't be anywhere near Coba and me for a while._

"Ms. Brooklyn?"

The woman turned from the window upon hearing her name, the horrific memory interrupted. She looked at the speaker anxiously. "Is Coba alright, doctor?" she demanded.

The doctor nodded sagely. "She's still unconscious and has lost a lot of blood, but we got her stabilized. She's going to be fine, Natalie, though we need to keep her here for a couple of days to make sure she doesn't take a turn for the worst."

Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." A thought occurred to her. "Will she have trouble with memory loss?" she asked the doctor.

"It's hard saying," the doctor replied, her voice solemn. "I would imagine that she won't remember the attack, if there is any memory loss."

_If so, it may be for the best_, Natalie thought. _I'd rather she didn't live with the memory of it for the rest of her life._ "When can I see her?"

Before the doctor could reply, a nurse rushed into the room. "Doctor, Coba Brooklyn's awake," she said urgently. "She's asking where her mother is."

"Well, that answers your question," the doctor told her patient's mother. "Come with us."

With a nod, Natalie followed the nurse and the doctor to Coba's hospital room, her heart racing. _Does Coba remember the break-in? _she wondered. _Does she at least remember he was stopped?_Upon entering the room, she had a hard time staying composed; the girl's forehead was covered with bandages, her face bruised with only a few small cuts, and her arms bruised with several gashes.

Coba looked up at Natalie, tears of relief, pain and fear falling from her cobalt blue and reddish-brown-spotted eyes. "Mom, you're okay!" she cried.

Natalie went over to the ten-year-old's bed, then sat down and gently hugged her. A single tear fell from her right eye. "I thought I lost you, my little one," she murmured.

"I thought I lost you," Coba replied, her voice strained with emotion.

There was an emotional moment of silence. "Do you recall anything?" Natalie asked softly at last.

"Not really," Coba confessed sadly. "I don't remember what happened. I only remember you were in trouble." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I did figure out how to get that animal communicator to work, though."

For the first time since the incident, Natalie smiled. _At least there's a bright side to her day. _"That's great, Coba," she said happily.

Almost as soon as Coba smiled, it evaporated. "Who did this to me, Mom?" she asked.

Her mother's smile faded as well. "I don't know," she replied. "I saw him on the news last night, though. The police arrested him. He won't bother us again." _I won't let him_, Natalie mentally added, hugging Coba a bit tighter. _I'll keep you safe from now on, my child. I won't let anyone try to take you away from me again._


	2. Chapter 1: A Surprising Confrontation

**Author's Notes: **

**Yay! I finally got this chapter done and posted! Hooray for not having as much college work to do! And hooray for my birthday, on the day I post this chapter! :D Whoo-hoo!**

* * *

**October 10, 2040**

Coba sat in a booth at a diner with her friends Maxine Gibson and Dana Tan. The small teen's half-brother, Terry McGinnis, was standing in a quiet area, talking to his employer Bruce Wayne—whom was also Coba's legal guardian—over the phone. _No doubt talking about the attempted Cerestone heist earlier tonight_, she thought, scowling. Even though the villains had not succeeded in getting the Cerestone, Coba and Terry—Batgirl and Batman respectively—were left with no choice but to destroy it when the trailer was disconnected from the truck and fell to the river.

"You okay, Coba?" Max asked concernedly, pulling the small teen out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just upset about failing the assignment," Brooklyn answered. She worded her sentences carefully in case of someone eavesdropping, not wanting to risk being discovered as Batgirl.

Max nodded sympathetically, knowing what Coba was talking about. "That can get your spirits down."

"You'll get the next one," Dana said encouragingly, also understanding the topic. She decided to change the subject to get Coba's mind off the heist. "So, Chelsea told me about a movie she saw with Ashley the other day..."

Although she did not like gossip, Coba listened a bit, distracted from her own troubles. _I'll hear about it later, anyway,_ she thought, knowing how often Bruce would bring up problems.

To the shock of the three girls, a large young man with blond hair grabbed Dana by her shoulder. "Get away from me!" the raven-haired girl demanded, pulling herself out of his grasp.

The young man did not leave. "Come on, baby," he said coyly, leaning in closer, "I've got lost time to make up for."

Just as he grabbed Dana again, Coba sprang up from her seat and tried to pull him away, her blood boiling with rage. "Leave her alone!" she growled. From the corner of her eye she could see Terry hanging up the phone to come to their aid. During her distraction, the man smacked her away from him, causing her to stumble back into a wall. Coba looked up with a dangerous glare in the works...

...only to falter upon meeting his sky blue eyes glaring back at her. Her eyes widened in shock and horror, her body trembling in terror as time seemed to slow around her. Instead of keeping his gaze on her, he looked back at Tan. "Get your paws off her!" Coba heard Max order as Dana tried again to plead and fight for her freedom.

"Boy, you picked the wrong booth," Terry's voice growled. Brooklyn looked up to see her half-brother gripping the man's shirt in his fist as Terry's other hand prepared to punch his face. Much to her surprise, he hesitated. "Big Time?" he said, shocked.

The man paused, then smiled in recognition. "T T!" he said before hugging Terry happily. McGinnis could only hug back, though it still took him a moment to register that he had been reunited with his old friend. Coba managed to get up, albeit shakily, and get back to the table, though she remained standing.

"Big Time? T T?" Max asked, looking at Dana. However, Dana continued to glare at the man.

Terry became enthusiastic. "Guys, this is Charlie 'Big Time' Bigelow," he introduced. "Charlie was always scheming about how he was going to make it big, and the name stuck."

Charlie grinned pleasantly, though Coba had to suppress an uncomfortable shudder. "And 'T T' is Tiny Terry, cause he was always thinking small," he explained, giving his younger friend a pat on the back.

"Dana, you remember Charlie."

"I remember who he is," Dana scowled at her boyfriend. "Do _you?_"

The black-haired man's grin turned into a frown at Tan's remark. Before he could say anything, however, Charlie was looking at Coba and Max. "And who are these fine young ladies?" he asked smoothly.

"My friend Max and half-sister Coba," Terry answered as he gestured to them respectively, feeling a bit flared up at Bigelow's remark about them, primarily his own kin.

Max gave a curt nod of acknowledgment to Charlie. However, he hardly noticed as he looked at Coba. _She seems familiar, _he thought. After a moment, he dismissed his suspicions and turned to Terry. "Come on, twip," he said, leading Terry out of the diner. "What's good to eat around here? You gonna buy me a burger or what?"

The teenage girls watched them leave. Max looked at Dana and Coba after a few seconds, and was surprised by their different facial expressions; while Dana was worried, Coba seemed to be in some sort of a trance. "You okay, Co?" the pink-haired girl asked when the youngest of the trio did not budge. Not getting a reaction, she gently shook her friend. "Coba?"

"H-huh?" Coba gasped, whipping her head around in shock. "Oh! Uh, y-yeah, I-I'm fine," she stammered, trying to calm down. "A-at least, I think so..."

Gibson could tell the small teen was worked up about Charlie's sudden appearance. After all, it was not every day—actually never, now that she thought about it—that she saw Coba freeze in terror when a close friend was in danger. "Come on," she gently urged, standing up and supporting Coba. "Let's get you home."

Dana stood up as well, then helped her friends as they left as she was lost inside her own thoughts. _Oh, please don't get brought down by him again, Terry, _she silently pleaded. Even though she knew he was Batman, she was worried that he would be influenced by Charlie to get into trouble once more in spite of Terry's efforts to put it all behind him.

~!~

A couple of hours later, Terry had returned to the Batcave. Coba was sent to bed upon arrival, too jumpy to go on patrol that night, but she could not get to sleep. After Terry left, seeing he was a bit more cheerful than he had been when he first arrived, she went down to the cave. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" the all-too familiar gravelly voice inquired.

"Yes, Bruce, but I couldn't get to sleep," Coba said drowsily. She reached down and pet Ace as he sat down on her blue-slipper-covered feet.

Bruce looked at her concernedly, though there was a hint of sympathy in his gaze. "Are you ready to talk about what happened before you came home?"

Brooklyn nodded, then told him what happened at the diner. "I don't know what came over me," she concluded. "I hadn't felt so terrified since Wheeler's ranch, yet this fear felt more... familiar."

Wayne thought over what she said, then turned to the computer. "I'll see what I can find about Bigelow," he said at last. "In the meantime, try to calm yourself so you can sleep."

"Okay," the girl replied. She pet Ace, then asked him politely—in dog—to let her move. Ace got off of her feet with a confirming whine. Coba went over to the different Batsuits and looked at them, hardly noticing her giant pouched rat, Ed, climbing onto her shoulders. However, her mind was somewhere else other than on the costumes. _Bigelow looked so familiar, and he felt the same about me. But, when did we come across each other? What happened?_

"Oh my God," Bruce gasped almost inaudibly, pulling Coba out of her thoughts.

"What is it?" she asked concernedly, turning to see the screen.

To Coba's shock, Bruce minimized the window before she could see what had alarmed him. She sensed apprehension coming off of him in waves, something she had never sensed with the hardened man before. "What is it?" she repeated, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

Bruce said nothing for a long moment. Finally, he blinked the apprehension out of his eyes. "Coba, go pack your suitcase," he ordered firmly. "I'll call your grandfather and have him pick you up."

"What?! Why?" Coba exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"This is for your own good, kid," the first Batman said.

"Bruce, what are you talking about? You're keeping information from me that I either don't know or don't remember. How is this—"

"Coba," Bruce reprimanded sharply. He forced himself to relax, trying not to scare his ward even more. "If you don't remember by the time I figure something out, I'll tell you. But right now, you have to trust me. It's not safe for you to be in Gotham right now. Please, kid, go get packed."

Batgirl could tell it hurt her caretaker to withhold information from her in this fashion. "Okay, Bruce," she said, her voice cracking. She turned and went back up into her room, then packed her suitcase with clothing for herself and food for Ed to last a few days as Bruce called Coba's grandfather, Dick Grayson. Coba wanted to know what had upset Bruce, but she did not have it in her heart to read his mind to find out, since he was so reluctant to say in the first place. _I hope this boils over soon,_ she thought. Although she was secretly excited about getting to spend more time with Dick, she wanted things to return to normal—_That is, as normal as they were before,_ she thought—as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 2: Forgotten

**Blϋdhaven**

Upon arriving at her grandfather's home, Coba carried her suitcase into the guest room that was set up for her, Ed riding on her shoulders. The rat jumped down onto the bed, then took great joy in bouncing on it as he ran across the surface. Coba smiled at Ed's antics, momentarily forgetting about her anxiety over why she came to be here. "_You having fun, Ed?_" she asked in his language.

Ed stopped bouncing and looked at her, slightly embarrassed and slightly indignant. "_I was just testing it to see if you'd like it!_" he pouted, though it was partially true.

"_Yeah, keep telling yourself that's all it is,_" Coba teased, petting him. She placed his still-full food bowl on the drawer beside the bed. Remembering his hunger, Ed hopped onto the counter and began to eat. Coba closed the door and changed back into the pajamas she had been wearing before having to leave Wayne Manor, then reopened the door when she was done. To her surprise, she saw Grayson standing there. "Is something wrong, Grandfather?" she asked tensely.

Dick shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong," he said. "Have you eaten anything tonight?"

Up until then, Brooklyn had not fully realized that she had not eaten that night, having to leave the diner early. "I haven't, though I don't feel hungry," she answered honestly.

Grayson blinked his one eye sympathetically, remembering how it felt to be too upset to eat anything. "Well, eat something before you sleep, even if it is just a little bit," he said, moving a bit so he did not block the entire doorway. "There are leftovers in the fridge and different cereals in the pantry."

Coba nodded in understanding. "Okay, thanks," she said quietly as she went to the kitchen. Much to her surprise, after eating a small bowl of cereal with some soymilk, she realized that she had in fact been famished. _Thank goodness Grandfather said something, _she thought. She also ate a few carrots, some apple sauce, and some leftover chicken Grayson had put in there just the night before.

The man looked at his granddaughter in surprise. "Didn't feel hungry, huh?"

"Nope," the girl replied. "It must've been an instance where my mind was tricking my body."

"I guess so." Dick looked at the wall clock. "It's already 1 in the morning."

"I suppose I'd better get to bed then, huh?" Coba asked.

"Wait a while for the food to settle, then you can," he advised.

She managed a grin. "You know, you're starting to sound like my mom."

Dick smirked. "What? Did you really think she got that from your grandmother?"

Batgirl and Nightwing shared a moment of laughter as they realized they could not imagine Selina Kyle saying that. After a few minutes, they turned on the television and watched a film Coba had seen many times and still loved: _Watership Down_. It was not until the film was halfway through that the tired teen had finally fallen asleep. Grayson turned the TV down before turning it off completely, then carried his descendant to her bed and lay her down on it. He covered her with a blanket. _Sleep well, Granddaughter, _he thought as he gently stroked her hair. He stood up, turned off the light, and then left the room, slightly closing the door so the light from the outside rooms would have less of a chance to wake Brooklyn.

~!~

Coba woke up the next morning. Much to her surprise, her slumber had not been disturbed by nightmares or anything else. For once, Coba was disappointed by this. _I was hoping to have answers by now, _she thought ruefully. Often times when she slept, she would have dreams that would warn her of dangers and hard truths that lay ahead. She got out of bed, fed Ed his breakfast, and then went into the kitchen to have coffee and food. Dick was already up, and had just finished brewing a fresh pot of coffee and finished making a breakfast composed of pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs and orange slices. Coba could not help but stare in shock at the display. _How the heck am I going to help Grandfather eat all of this?! _she wondered.

As though he could read her mind like she could with other people, the one-eyed man chuckled a little. "Relax, I eat quite a bit," he said. "Besides, by how you ate last night but clearly didn't get your fill, I bet you could handle a lot as well."

"Well, I can give it my best shot," Coba said, still uncertain but eager to not disappoint Dick.

In spite of her misgivings, the girl had eaten more than she and Grayson had anticipated. Her stomach ached a little from eating a bit too much, but she did not complain. She went with Dick to slowly walk around in the gym that was in his home, both aiming to help their stomachs digest their food better. After a bit, Coba felt better. "Thanks for breakfast," she said after a while.

"Sure thing," Dick smiled.

A hard knock was heard on the door. Dick, noticing Brooklyn's apprehensiveness, approached the door cautiously. Recognizing who was on the other side of the door, he relaxed and opened it. "Hi, Terry," he greeted.

"Hey, Grayson," Terry replied with a courteous nod. "I heard Coba was here. Is she okay?"

Grayson noticed Terry's concern, but also noticed that the young man was tense. "Yes, she's fine," he replied, hiding the unease he felt about letting Terry in. _He looks like he's about to yell at her, _he thought.

Coba sensed the tension both men felt, but knew it would not be resolved quickly unless it was unleashed. "Let him in, Grandfather," she said calmly.

The one-eyed man hesitated for a moment, then complied. McGinnis walked in, walking towards his half-sister until he stopped just a few feet away from her. He paused, taking a breath to compose himself, then spoke. "Why aren't you at the manor, sis?"

"I don't know," Coba confessed.

"Don't lie to me," the young man said, his voice getting tight with frustration.

"I'm telling you the truth, Ter," she said shakily. "I really don't know. Bruce was looking at something, but then he got upset and told me to pack my things to come here for a while. He wouldn't tell me what was going on. All I know is that he read something about Bigelow."

Terry's eyes seemed to flash with annoyance. "So he had to look up Charlie," he said bitterly. "I guess my word wasn't good enough." He looked at the girl once more. "What did you tell him about last night?"

"I told him the truth," Brooklyn said, becoming angered that her brother was defending the man who hurt her.

"Seems like you stretched it."

Coba glared dangerously at her half-brother. "Seems like you forgot it," she retorted sourly. "When you recognized him, you immediately disregarded the fact that he threw me to the ground, and—"

"You're the one who attacked him first!" Terry barked before she could continue.

"Because he had intentions of raping Dana! And by how he handled the situation, it wasn't his first time trying to overpower someone! It wasn't... Oh, God..."

Dick looked at the teens in surprise when Coba had said those words. However, his protective instincts kicked in when his granddaughter's face became forlorn as Terry was about to yell again. "That's enough," he said firmly, getting between them. "Terry, it's time you left."

Batman clenched his fists and his jaw, but said no more. He turned and stormed out of Grayson's home, slamming the door behind him.

Nightwing turned to Coba, becoming more concerned as he saw her face become a ghostly white. "Kid?" He gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Coba? Say something."

Brooklyn took a deep, shuddering breath, then looked up at Dick. "Grandfather, c-call Grandma," she said shakily. "H-have her meet us at Gotham Park."

"I will. What's wrong?"

"I f-feel there's something we all need to see."

Dick managed to keep himself from snapping at her. "Coba, what's going on?" he said gently, though with a hint of firmness.

Coba paused apprehensively, then quietly replied, "I think I'm starting to remember."

"Remember what?"

"When I first ran into Bigelow."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Ooh, Coba's starting to remember...**

_**So? You **_**always**_** make her remember stuff!**_

**Back of, Thuraya, or so help me I'll demote you from main character of my next TLK story.**

_***Growls, but backs down***_

**That's more I like it.**

**Yep, she's on rough ground with Terry again, though I don't feel bad for Terry one bit in this case. In the previous chapter, I had forgotten to say something about how I felt about Terry during the episode "Big Time," so I'll say it now even though it was expressed in this chapter: It bugged the heck out of me when Terry suddenly completely ignored the fact that his "friend" had just tried to take advantage of Dana. I mean, come on! I know you hadn't seen the guy in a few years, but he pretty much just tried to rape your girlfriend! How the **** is that okay the minute you realize he's a "friend" from the past?! It's not! And throughout the rest of the episode, you didn't even reflect on the incident. You could only reflect on how wrong you'd been about him this entire time. It's natural that you feel guilty about that, but, what about what nearly happened to Dana?!**

**Okay, that's enough of my ranting. Actually, though, that was probably _the_ main reason why I felt the need to make my own version of this episode. I felt that if anyone could help Terry remember that, it would be my OC. Of course, it hasn't happened yet, but he'll get it later.**

**On a much, much lighter note, time to explain Ed's antics in the beginning. I could not help but add that cute moment because: 1) this story needed a light-hearted incident; and 2) my current rats, Teresa and Cornflower, tend to climb onto my bed and crawl and bounce around on it. They, especially Teresa, seem to like the extra spring they get in their jumps! So far they haven't sailed off my bed, thank goodness. XD**

**Please leave a review below and have a great rest of your day! :D**


	4. Chapter 3: Painful Truths

**Gotham**

Two hours after Coba and Terry's argument, Coba arrived at Gotham Park with Dick. Upon arrival, they were immediately greeted by Selina Kyle. "Coba! Are you alright?" she asked the girl concernedly.

Dick snorted irritably. "What am I? Chopped liver?" he muttered.

"I'm not sure, Grandmother," Coba said grimly.

"Not sure if you're alright, or not sure if your grandfather's chopped liver?" Selina smirked.

To Catwoman's shock and dismay, Coba did not even smile at her joke. "The first one," Brooklyn replied. "Something came up, something I'm not entirely certain about."

"But why—"

"—did I ask you to come here? I'm not sure about that, either." Coba looked around. "I remember I came here quite a bit whenever Mom was busy so I could test out whatever new invention I came up with."

"I'm surprised she let you come here alone," Grayson noted.

"I was a kid with sharp intellect and a way with sharp mechanisms," the girl replied. "I've sensed people think twice about bothering me and they left me alone. Besides, I got a bunch of animals on my side after saving a dog from his abusive owner. Of course," she smirked, "the person didn't realize I was really a scrawny ten year old disguised as a tall, muscular man." To drive her point home, she located a small device hidden underneath a bench and pressed a button, turning herself into a six-two black-haired man wearing a trench coat. "Leave him alone," she growled in a completely masculine voice.

Dick bit his lip to keep from howling with laughter while Selina tried hard to refrain from laughing as well. However, both of them failed to stop themselves when Coba turned back to herself and started giggling. "Kid, you looked and sounded just like Bruce when he was younger," Dick chuckled.

"I realized that as soon as I spoke," Coba laughed.

After a few moments, the three people calmed down, allowing Coba to continue reminiscing. "Since I'd gained so many friends in these animals, I wondered exactly what they'd say to each other, and what they'd try to tell me. When I went home one night, I started putting together my first animal communicator." She stopped, her breath suddenly catching.

"Coba?" Selina said, becoming concerned for her granddaughter once more.

Batgirl took a moment to compose herself enough to speak, though terror was present on her face. "When I brought it here the next day, what the animals had to say brought my sense of accomplishment to an abrupt end. It turned out that they'd been trying to warn me of a man who was sneaking around my house while Mom was alone. As I went home to try to tell her, or at least scare the man off, the dog I'd saved tried to..." She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "He tried to talk me out of going. A younger man, after he talked with the other man, had just broken into the house. The house..."

Coba's eyes grew wide with a sense of urgency. Before she realized it, she was running across the empty street towards an alley, her grandparents' cries for her to stop falling upon deaf ears. She paused momentarily in front of a small house, recognizing it as the home she had shared with her mother. If Coba had been paying attention to the main details of the building, she would have been appalled to realize that it had not been fixed up since Natalie's murder. However, her focus drifted to the master bedroom of the house. In an instant, Coba was watching scenes from the depths of her mind play out like a film: Natalie was pinned down by a large man tying her to the bed; a young voice called to her; the man turned on the voice as Natalie screamed for the girl to run; then there was nothing but pain and a pair of angry green eyes...

"Coba?!"

The small teen was brought back to reality by Grayson's urgent voice. She realized she had fallen to the ground while her long lost memory reemerged, and she was shaking violently like a leaf in unforgiving winds. A large hand reached down toward her. Recognizing the friendly gesture, she reached an unsteady hand to it and allowed it to help her stand. Two pairs of arms pulled her into a protective embrace. Although she knew that the two people would not hurt her, Coba could not stop herself from shedding tears of fear, hatred and sorrow. She closed her eyes to try to calm down, but to no avail. "Easy, kid, we got you," Dick murmured.

After a few minutes, Coba calmed down enough to support herself. Selina and Dick released her as she did so, then watched in surprise as their descendent went to a dusty dresser in an unkempt closet. The girl saw a box a few feet above the tallest shelf, out of viewpoint for those taller than her. Remembering her training, she jumped up, then thrust her feet against the wall to launch herself at the box. As she fell once more, she grabbed the box and pulled it down with her, but landed on her feet.

"What's that?" Kyle asked curiously as Brooklyn returned to where she and Grayson stood.

"I saw Mom fill a box full of things after we came back from the hospital," Coba answered. "I didn't get to see what she put in it, but something tells me they have to do with the day I first had a run in with Bigelow."

"Who's this 'Bigelow' you're talking about?" Selina inquired.

"A friend of Terry's who just got out of jail," Dick replied, remembering what Coba had told him on the way to the park. "Hang on a second, Coba. I know this may get you worked up again, but what happened that day?"

Batgirl's gaze hardened with such fury that Nightwing and Catwoman had to refrain from flinching. "He broke into our home, tried to rape my mother, and tried to kill me when I came back to warn Mom about him." Coba looked down, now deep in thought. "He'd been watching her for a long time, but didn't strike until that day. It had to have been planned from the beginning, and I highly doubt he did all of the planning."

"As much as I hate to say it, it could've just been random," Dick said grimly, understanding the pain and confusion of being attacked at random.

"Actually, Coba's theory makes more sense," Selina said solemnly. "To me, at least. When I was with Bruce after... first meeting Coba, he mentioned something about Natalie possibly being killed for knowing too much."

Coba closed her eyes sadly. "That is possible, considering she was an office secretary at Wayne-Powers before she broke up with Powers and quit working there, both instances being sudden." She paused for a moment, reopening her eyes. "I vaguely remember asking her about it. She only told me that she'd broken up with him because he found out that he disrespected me and thought of me as a silly, crippled child who's nothing but a waste of time and life, but I knew even then that it was only part of the truth." She turned back to her parents, holding the container closely as though her life and those of the people she loved depended on it. "Whatever is in this box may hold whatever Mom was guarding from me. And yet... I feel reluctant about opening it. She was just keeping truth from me to keep me safe."

Dick placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You were young then, Co. You weren't as capable of defending yourself back then as you are now. But now that Bigelow has returned, whatever was hidden back then _has_ to be revealed now, even if it hurts. Your mother would understand."

The girl remained silent, as though drifting into another world, then nodded. "She does, Grandfather."

~!~

A short while later, Selina, Dick and Coba arrived at Selina's house. Since the policemen who had been posted to watch the old woman had been relieved of duty a few days earlier, the trio were able to enter without a problem. Selina allowed Coba to set the dusty box on the kitchen table, resolving to wipe off the table later. The man and woman watched as their granddaughter opened the box.

Coba did not gasp in shock upon opening it, but instead gazed solemnly at the contents: a video disk; a green diary; a flash drive; a file with the words 'Wayne-Powers' printed on it; a rope with frayed ends, as well as a severed rope; and a copy of Natalie's police statement. Wordlessly, Batgirl turned on Selina's computer and put the disk in the drive. In front of her own eyes, as well as those of Dick and Selina, the scene of Charlie's crime played out. To their surprise, it switched to a news story recorded that same evening. Next, Coba put in the flash drive and scanned its contents. Coba's eyes widened. "Oh, dregs," she murmured.

"What is it?" Catwoman inquired.

"That was the same day Terry got arrested with Bigelow," the girl replied. "And the flash drive contains stolen information from Wayne-Powers..." She looked at the adults regretfully. "I'm sorry I put you through this today," she apologized. "I felt, somehow, that I needed your help. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for your support, but... I'm still sorry I put you through this," she repeated, her voice getting quieter with guilt.

Grayson put a hand on Coba's shoulder. "Don't be, kid. I'm glad to have helped." _Even though it did make me uncomfortable_, he mentally added. A nod from Selina to both of them echoed what he had said and how he felt. It had been rather rattling for them to find out that the daughter they had never truly known had nearly been sexually assaulted, and that her own daughter was nearly killed for intervening.

"It's getting late," Selina said after a moment. "You'd better be heading home soon."

"I guess so," Coba responded, looking a bit downcast once more as she put the items of proof back into the box. A thought came to her. "I think we should bring this to Bruce's attention, maybe even Barbara's. Even though over three years have passed, there's a chance that something can still be done."

"It pains me to say this, but you have a point, Co," Dick said with a nod, though he was uncomfortable about confronting the two people at once.

"I'll come with you," Selina said firmly. "If there's anything I can do to help Natalie—and Coba—I'm more than willing to do it."

In spite of Dick's skepticism towards the former thief, Coba's nod told him that Selina was indeed willing to go to whatever lengths for her daughter and granddaughter. "Do what you're going to do," he said with a shrug. "You're going to do it anyway."

Kyle glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply.

"It's just an expression," Coba answered for Grayson. "He didn't mean anything bad about your intentions. Can we go before this case gets any colder?"

The sharp edge in Brooklyn's voice reminded the older people of the urgency of the situation. With a nod of confirmation, they followed the small teen out of the apartment, with Selina locking the door behind her for fear that her past sins would catch up to her. _I've got more than enough stress on my plate already, _she thought.

~!~

Over an hour after Coba, Dick and Selina left the woman's home, the sun had already started to set, prompting Terry to report back to the cave. He pet Ace as he walked by, momentarily alarmed when Ed was not with the large dog. His look of shock quickly turned into a scowl when he remembered Ed was with Coba, who was with Grayson. The argument Terry and his half-sister had still rang in his mind as though it had been just a few seconds ago instead of a few hours. Shaking his head in an effort to clear it, he continued through the manor and walked down the cement steps leading into the Batcave.

Much to his shock and dismay, he saw Bruce sitting at the computer, looking at a criminal file. It was normal for Terry to see Bruce to look up different criminals and organizations, but on this occasion, he was appalled. "What're you doing?" he said angrily. "You _had_ to check up on Charlie! My word wasn't good enough?!"

Bruce did not look from the computer screen as he spoke. "Just keeping my eyes open. You should do the same."

Terry became more outraged. "He's my _friend_, Bruce. He came to me for help!"

"The question is, help for what?" the old man stated.

"What does that mean?!" Terry exclaimed.

Wayne looked at him seriously. "Your friend Charlie shared a cell with a man named Richard Armacost."

"So?"

"Armacost was serving time for insider trading. He was—and still is—a top executive at Agrichem."

Terry was about to argue in Charlie's favor when he remembered something Charlie had said the previous night. His angered expression turned forlorn. "So that's his big contact from inside," he muttered. He turned away, then walked until he was right next to the computer chair.

"Did he know in prison that you were working for me?" Bruce asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah," Terry replied guiltily. "We emailed now and then." He angrily punched the computer chair, knocking it down, then started to leave the cave.

Bruce watched him for a moment, his gaze irritated yet sympathetic towards his apprentice. "Do you know why he would help Armacost?" he asked at last.

McGinnis stopped. "No, except that he must've bribed him with promises of helping him get into the big time."

"I have another explanation for it."

Both Batmen looked to the top of the stairs to see Coba walking in with a box, Selina and Dick walking in behind her. "Coba," Bruce said, his eyes widening with concern as he noticed how red her face was. He knew right away, by the expression on her face, that dried tears from earlier were not the only reason.

Batgirl placed the box down on the operating table, then brought out the contents. "Today I paid a visit to the old house Mom and I had lived in and found this box. Inside are pieces of evidence Mom had kept from a series of incidents that happened during her last few months, and she'd saved them for in case the police force wasn't so corrupt in the future so the right actions could be made at last."

"What does this have to do with Charlie?" Terry interrupted, wishing his little half-sister would get to the point.

"I'm getting to that," Coba snapped, a fierce glare in her eyes that told him to stay quiet until she had finished. Breathing a small sigh, she continued. "In her diary, Mom had written that I'd come across some files about a dangerous substance Powers was secretly working with while I was exploring, and thus broke up with him and quit her job. He had been making a more lethal version of Cerestone for others to use it in war.

"Her sudden reactions to the news must've alerted Powers that she knew something about it, so he hired Fixx to stalk her... and to find a way to... to kill her." Coba stopped, then took a deep breath before continuing, hardly noticing Grayson as he put a hand on her shoulder for the umpteenth time that day. "After spending about a week watching her undetected—except by some animals I'd visit at the park—he found a young man willing to do anything to get into the big time, including getting his hands bloody: Charlie Bigelow.

"At some point, Bigelow decided that it wasn't enough to just kill Mom," she added, then went on to explain what had happened from his breaking and entering the house to her being taken to the hospital. "While in prison, he must've thought that Fixx or Powers would get him out, but he got angry when they didn't. If this is the case, which I think it is, he then made deals with Armacost to steal Cerestone from Wayne Powers."

Silence filled the cave when Coba had finished. Bruce's eyes betrayed his sorrow towards his young ward. Selina was angered by the news Coba had just unveiled, having not heard it all until then, while Dick stood next to their granddaughter, patting her shoulder reassuringly. The girl just looked at the ground, the weight of the situations she spoke of feeling heavier than before. Terry could only stare at Coba guiltily, unable to find the words to say. "I'm... I'm sorry, sis," he managed to say at last. "I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier. You were right about him, like Bruce and Dana had been all this time."

Coba had looked up at him as he spoke, letting his words sink in. "I wish we hadn't been right, though. I mean, I wish hadn't turned out like this, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt, and neither would Mom have nearly been..." she trailed off sadly.

"Me too, Coba," Terry said, walking over to her. He hugged her tightly, hardly noticing that she had hugged back. "Me too," he echoed sorrowfully. After a moment, he released her. "There's something I need to do. I'll talk to you about it later, okay?"

Although Coba was a little apprehensive, she could not find the energy to talk her brother out of it or read his thoughts to see if she should be worried or not. "Okay. Take care," she said quietly.

"You too, sis," Terry murmured. He turned and left the cave.

"I hope you're not thinking about patrolling tonight," Bruce said gently after Terry was gone.

"It crossed my mind earlier, but I decided against it," Coba replied. "With my current emotional state, I'd be a liability." _Well, more of a liability than I have been,_ she mentally added ruefully.

Bruce nodded in understanding, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Kid, about last night..."

"It's okay, Bruce," Coba said, realizing how hard it was for him to apologize. "I understand why you did what you did. But, if it's alright with you and Grandfather, I'd like to stay with him another night. I think it'll be best if I'm not in Gotham tonight." _Because if I stay, I may go after Charlie, and I can't take that risk. Not now, at least. _"Plus, Ed's still at Grandfather's." From the corner of her eye, she noticed Grayson giving her a look that seemed to say "Of course I won't mind!"

"I understand," Bruce said.

Coba gave her legal guardian a small hug of gratitude, then turned and left with her grandparents, taking the box and the proof it contained with her. _One of the people responsible for what happened that day will be brought to justice soon, Mom, _Coba thought determinedly. _I promise._

~!~

**Blϋdhaven**

Upon arriving at Grayson's loft after dropping Kyle off at her apartment, Brooklyn fed Ed, then went into the kitchen and had dinner with her grandfather. In spite of not having much of an appetite, Coba ate all of the food that was on her plate. Afterwards, she took a shower, got dressed in her pajamas, and then bid Grayson good night. To her surprise, Dick tucked her in, and sat on a chair by her bed as she fell asleep, making sure she would be alright.

Almost ten minutes after he knew she was asleep, Grayson got up. "Good night, kiddo," he murmured, gently stroking her hair. "Sleep well." _I hope I can sleep well, too, _he thought, although he doubted it. With everything that had been revealed about his daughter that day, he was uncertain as to whether or not he could sleep at all. To his own surprise, he found himself wondering if Selina felt the same way.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I know, I know: I gave a cliche idea as to why Charlie decided to help rob from Wayne-Powers. That was the best way I could get it tied together more securely, though. I think... But yay for more insight as to why Natalie was killed!**

**Rockeyes: Actually, it's not so much of a yay because of how depressing it is...**

***Glares***

***Rockeyes rolls her eyes and limps away***

**Anywho, if there are any concerns you have, or if you want to offer constructive criticism or something saying what you like about the chapter, please leave a review in the box below. I'm always appreciative of them, just as long as they don't say anything offensive and vague like "Fail," because then it just hurts my ego more than it already is.**

**Have a good day! :D**


	5. Chapter 4: The Burden of Guilt

The next day, Coba woke up after a rough night's sleep. Her dreams were plagued by memories of her mother's death and of Charlie attacking them. She had finally slept peacefully after Grayson awakened her from her nightmares, though it felt as though it was for less than two seconds instead of over three hours. Reaching over and petting the sleeping Ed, she started to get up drowsily. Ed lifted his head upon sensing her efforts from the force she used on the bed to get up. "_Good morning, Mom,_" he squeaked tiredly in his language.

"_Good morning, bud,_" Coba replied. "_Sleep good?_"

"_Fairly well, yeah,_" Ed answered modestly.

The girl managed a small grin. "_I'm glad to hear that, bud._"

"_I'm guessing by your sleepy and troubled tone that you didn't sleep well,_" the brown giant pouched rat observed.

"_That is true,_" Brooklyn sighed. "_Everything I started remembering yesterday messed with my head._"

Ed snuggled next to her leg sympathetically. "_I can tell, Mom. Don't worry, this too shall pass eventually, like others have before._"

Coba pet her rodent friend, but said nothing. She could not bring herself to tell him that she doubted her own strength against this enemy. Not only would dealing with Charlie be challenging physically, but it would also test her mental and spiritual strength. _What if I cross the line? _she wondered, though not for the first—and certainly not for the last—time in her young life. _Would Bruce refuse to look at me, let alone live with him or be Batgirl anymore? What would Grandfather or Grandmother do? What about Terry?_

"_It's okay, Mom,_" Ed said gently, noticing that she was starting to get upset. "_Don't think about it right now. You're safe here, remember?_"

_Even safe from myself? _Coba almost said aloud, but stopped herself at the last second. His words did, however, calm her a bit. "_I remember, bud,_" she said quietly. "_Thank you._"

"_Sure thing. Now,_" he added suddenly, a roguish smirk on his conical face, "_may I please have my breakfast?_"

Chuckling, Coba nodded. "_Sure thing, Ed,_" she responded as she got up. She grabbed the food, filled his bowl, and then waited for him to start eating before she went to the kitchen. _Speaking of breakfast, I'm a bit famished myself! _she thought with a tiny laugh.

After eating her favorite breakfast—pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, a side of bacon and some orange juice—Batgirl decided to walk around the gym. To her surprise, Grayson and Terry were already there waiting for her. She realized that they must have been there for a long time. "Good morning," she said sheepishly, a bit upset that she had kept them waiting.

"Hey, sis," Terry said teasingly, though in a way that told Coba she was forgiven. "Looks like none of us slept well, huh?"

"Pretty much," Dick said, taking care not to bring up the fact that he had to wake the girl up from a nightmare.

"What was it that you said you had to do?" Coba asked her half-brother, remembering that he had excused himself the previous night. "Aside from patrolling the city?"

Terry's gaze darkened. "I confronted Charlie at Agrichem." Heaving a sigh at the sight of Dick and Coba's concern, he continued. "He kept going on about how he's changed and how I haven't, but..."

"But it's the other way around," his half-sister said softly.

McGinnis gave a small nod. "He had a suitcase with him, probably to be used in a heist. I managed to put a tracer on it before he left. With any luck, he won't know it's there."

"I doubt he will, if he doesn't suspect you've changed," Coba reassured him. "Besides, who would suspect that you had turned from a troublesome youth into Batman? Bigelow certainly wouldn't. And don't feel guilty for deceiving him: he's already deceived you several times, remember?"

"I know, sis," Terry said grimly. "But it's not guilt towards Charlie that's weighing me down; it's something else." He sighed again. "That day he went to prison while I went to juvie, I'd noticed bruises on his face. When I asked what had happened, he said some crazy chick couldn't keep her hands off of him. After hearing what you said last night about you and your mom, I figured out the truth. How could I be friends with someone like that?"

Coba hugged him, not certain of how else to respond. She wanted to tell him that he could not have known back then how horrid Charlie really was, but she realized he had already known he was blind to his friend's true nature. _That's part of why he's feeling guilty. He hadn't cared about who Charlie really is, and had looked up to him._

"It's not your fault, Terry," Dick said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How could you have known what really happened?"

The young man looked down. "I guess I wouldn't have," he said grimly. He gently pulled away from Coba. "Thanks, guys," he said half-heartedly, though he was thoroughly touched by their support of him. "I'd better get going."

"Alright. Take care, bro," Coba said.

"You too, sis."

~!~

**Gotham**

"In and out in two minutes," Karros said authoritatively to Bigelow and two men carrying large guns. Charlie had successfully gotten past the security systems of the Wayne-Powers Research building, in spite of nearly being caught by a security guard, and had opened up the entrance to the loading bay. Although he was pleased with himself for getting through, he was still rather peeved about being pushed around by Karros. The blade-wielding man grabbed a canister of Cerestone before turning to his companions. "Get a hand truck."

"Or just walk away."

The criminals looked up in surprise to see the all-too familiar silhouette of Gotham's Dark Knight. Batman glared down at them. "I'm giving you all a rare chance to skip what's coming."

The two gunmen looked at each other for a moment, then aimed their weapons at him. "Pass," one growled before opening fire.

Batman managed to dodge the lasers that were fired at him. Karros pulled out his own gun. "Get the cans on the truck!" he instructed Charlie.

Just as he started to run over to join the other two men, Karros was kicked to the side. A small figure clad in black and blue landed on the ground where the man had stood. "What's the matter, Karros?" the newcomer taunted, seeing his growing irritation. "Were you misinformed that this would be easy?"

Karros glared. "Zip the lip, Batrunt," he snarled.

"Ooh, like I haven't heard that before!" Batgirl said with a smirk.

Batman sneaked over from a beam above a gunman, and then jumped down and kicked him aside. "What are you doing here, Batgirl?" he murmured into his com in concern.

"Following a lead, same as you," Coba replied, ducking as Karros threw a punch at her. _Not to mention sneaking away from Grandfather, _she thought grimly. _I know he cares, but man, can he be overprotective at times! _"Less talk, more action!" she added sharply, kicking her opponent away.

Terry wanted to ask her if she was here because of Bigelow, but he wisely decided to hold his questions until afterwards. He focused on the gunmen again, dodging as they fired at him until he was right beside Batgirl. Being too far away to deal with the duo up close, Karros pulled out a grenade, activated it, and then threw it at them. The siblings jumped to opposite sides as the bomb flew by them. Upon hitting the ground just between where they had stood and where Charlie was trying to load the canisters, it exploded, causing the blond man to drop the canister. The lid of the container loosened, allowing some of the Cerestone to spill out. Batgirl risked a glance backward and saw him bend over to try to pick it up. "Don't touch it!" she cried out in warning, although—much to her chagrin—a dark part of her mind was hoping for him to do so.

Coba did not get to see if Bigelow had heeded her warning or not, for a thug came at her from the side, catching her attention. She swiftly performed a spin-kick to his gut. The man grunted and doubled over, allowing her to punch his face to knock him unconscious. The sound of gunfire and crashing caused her to look to the middle of the room. To her dismay, she saw Karros shooting a container of sand down onto Batman! "No!" she screamed, lunging at Karros.

Grinning malignantly, Karros greeted Batgirl with a forceful punch to her stomach. With the air driven out of her lungs, the small warrior could do nothing as she was tossed to the side. "Let's go!" Karros said to the other conscious gunman as sirens grew nearer, heading to the getaway truck.

"Hey, wait!" Charlie yelled, running to catch up with them. Although the back truck door closed before he could get in, he jumped onto it, holding on for dear life.

Batgirl could only watch in dismay as the villains made their escape. When they had gone, she grunted as she stood up and went over to where her half-brother was buried in the sand. Upon seeing him start to crawl out, she went over to help. "You okay?" she asked concernedly, though she still sounded rather winded.

"Peachy," Terry mumbled grudgingly, though he accepted her help. "Let's get out of here before the cops find us."

With a nod of agreement, Coba followed him as he flew out. With one last look into the lab, she noticed a light blue substance was on the floor. _Charlie had some of it on him when he left, _she realized. _Then that means—Oh, dregs! _"Um, Batman?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"I don't know how else to put this, but... your friend got Cerestone on him."

The lack of compassion in Coba's voice at the end of her statement alarmed both herself and Terry. The older teen was silent for a moment. "You'd better head back home," he said, a hint of an irritated growl in his voice. "Wayne, Grayson and Kyle are waiting for you there."

"Batman, I'm sor—" Coba began apologetically.

"Shut up and go."

Coba said no more, dismayed by Terry's harsh tone, and headed back to Grayson's home. Yet, she did not feel undeserving of the tone. _I'd wanted Charlie to get hurt or killed by the Cerestone. That's not the way a Bat is supposed to think, nor is it the way Mom would want me to think. I'm so sorry!_

~!~

An hour after the incident at the lab, Coba sat on a couch in Wayne Manor, facing her grandparents and her caretaker. The girl could not bring herself to look them in the eyes, even though they did not seem extremely upset with her. They all sat in silence until Dick spoke. "We saw and heard everything from the cave, kid. You did well."

Brooklyn looked up in surprise, not expecting to hear any pride in his voice. There was sadness in her eyes as she replied, "You didn't hear everything, though."

"We heard you warn Bigelow," Selina said, seemingly no emotion in her voice, "and we also heard how you told Terry about the incident."

"Selina," Grayson said sharply, trying to get her to stop.

Catwoman ignored him. "Why would you try to stop a man who caused you and your mother so much pain from getting hurt when you have no good feelings about him?" she inquired, her voice gaining more animosity with each word. "Do you have any idea how mad Terry is? How about how disappointed I am that you let them get away? What would your mother think?!"

"Enough!"

At Bruce's harsh reaction, Selina fell silent, still seething with rage. "Ignore her," Bruce told his ward. "You did the right thing. Your mother would be proud."

"But when I warned him, I was hoping he would get it on him anyway," Coba confessed, having a hard time keeping her voice from catching. "She wouldn't be proud of that, and Terry could tell by my voice that I'd wanted him to get hurt."

"Then why try to do anything for him to be fine?" Selina asked tartly.

"I didn't do it for him... I did it for Terry. I didn't mean to hurt Ter again when I said what I did. I didn't even mean to say it that way!" Batgirl's jaw quivered. "I didn't mean for those guys to get away. It's just... I got so distracted by my feelings... my concern for Terry when the sand fell on him..."

Dick wrapped an arm about his granddaughter's shoulders as he and Bruce looked at her in grim understanding. Even Selina had finally calmed down a bit, and was now sympathetic towards the girl. "We know, kid," the one-eyed man said quietly. "We know. Calm down."

Even though Coba did not cry, she had a hard time keeping from doing so. It took her a few moments to relax.

"Do you feel ready to come home yet?" Wayne asked Coba as gently as his deep voice would allow.

Coba shook her head. "No, not really. Charlie's still loose, and there's no telling how Terry will act if I come back right now."

Bruce gave a grim nod. "I understand, kid. Take your time, but don't let it be too long: things have a way of getting worse if you do."

In spite of her surprise at the level of understanding in his voice, Coba nodded calmly. Sensing Grayson was ready to go home, she got up with him. "I won't," she promised the old warrior, her grandparents and herself. _I won't let my relationship with Terry become like what happened between Bruce, Barbara, Grandfather and Tim._

~!~

The next day, Terry, Dana, Max and Coba walked out of Hamilton Hill High School. Coba had been released from college earlier on, and had gone to the high school to meet up with the other three teens. However, it was plain to see that Terry was still upset with her for what had happened the previous night. To add to Coba's stresses, she and her companions were surprised to see someone familiar outside of the school. "Bigelow?" she said in surprise. "What's he doing here?"

"Probably wants a favor," Terry said in a quiet, bitter voice. "Stay with Max and Dana. I'll go see what he wants."

Dana sighed despairingly as her boyfriend turned and went towards his old friend. "_Please_ don't get dragged down by him again," she mumbled under her breath.

"Is somebody going to tell me what went on between these two?" Max inquired, a bit irritated about being left in the dark.

"Ask Terry," the raven-haired girl replied grimly as she turned and walked away, leaving Max to watch in confusion with Coba as the scene unfolded.

Charlie turned as Terry approached. "Terry?"

"You alright?" Terry asked concernedly.

"I'm in a jam," he said urgently. "Batman messed up the hit last night and the guys I was working for say it's my fault. They say I have to get forty thousand creds or they'll scrag me. You've gotta lift it off of Wayne for me."

Terry looked down, irritated yet concerned about the man. "I can't do that, Charlie. You have to turn yourself in."

Bigelow's eyes narrowed in rage. "No, I'm not gonna—ugh!" He grunted in pain and grasped his arm.

"Charlie?" McGinnis asked in concern.

"Just stay away," the blond replied, turning and running away from the school grounds.

Coba and Max walked up to Terry, noticing his immediate head-bow of shame. "You did the right thing," Coba reassured him, the other girl nodding in solemn agreement.

The young man expected to see his half-sister's face darkened by rage towards Charlie, but instead saw that she was looking up at him sympathetically through her blue eyes. To further his shock, she was looking guiltier than he'd ever seen of her before. Then he remembered hearing her voice at one point the previous night, and then it hit him. _She tried to warn him, in spite of all he's done to her. _Terry felt guilty at this revelation. He hugged her gently. "Thanks, sis," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, bro," Coba said quietly, hugging back.

"You mind telling me what's going on?" Max asked somewhat impatiently when they released each other.

Terry and Coba glanced at one another, then nodded to each other before turning back to Max. "We'll tell you, but not here," Coba said. "We've got staring people."

Max shrugged. "Well, it is a high school. But yeah, elsewhere would be better."

A while after leaving the school, Max, Terry and Coba stood on a bridge, with the youngest of the three looking away from the edge to avoid seeing the heights as she told Max what she had discovered the previous day with her grandparents after Terry insisted that her story be told first before his. She managed to keep from breaking down, but it was clearly still a struggle for her. Her half-brother and their friend were silent for a moment once she had finished, though they gave her emotional support as she regained her composure. Terry leaned forward against the side of the bridge as his companions stood beside him, listening as he spoke.

"Charlie was 18, and I was 14," he said, sounding stressed about the story. "My folks were breaking up and he and I were... being angry kids: busting windows, shoplifting. Then Charlie decided to prove himself to this big gang and he—dragged me along on a heist. I didn't even know what we were doing until he was climbing in a window."

Max looked at her friend grimly. "But you went in too," she noted, realizing where he was going with his tale.

"Never said I was bright," he said. "Next thing I knew, the cops were shoutin' "Freeze" and I was doing ninety days in juvie. That was a slap on the wrist next to Charlie. He was in prison for three years."

Coba reached up and touched Terry's shoulder in an effort to comfort him, but knew right away that it did not work.

"And that's why you've been runnin' around with guilt ever since he rolled into town," Max said, sympathetic for Terry although her voice was also firm. She touched his shoulder as well. "You don't owe him anything."

"He's my friend, Max. And he's gonna die if I don't do something." The young man stood up straight, then turned away.

"You're not going to bring him to his senses," Max said as he started to leave, Coba following him. "He needs to do that himself."

McGinnis paused and glanced back at Max. "Maybe I can at least keep him alive until he does." He looked at Coba. "It might be best if you—"

"—went home while you find Charlie," Brooklyn finished solemnly. "Maybe, maybe not. But it won't do me any good to be cooped up with Grandfather, even though he already forgave me for sneaking out last night."

"From what I've read about Nightwing and Catwoman, I'd say sneaking around runs in the family," Max said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Coba replied, grinning a little.

Terry chuckled a bit in spite of his fear for his friend's well-being and his half-sister's safety. He resumed walking, catching sight of Coba waving farewell to Max before she followed him. Max watched her friends leave, then looked up as she felt a drop of rain fall onto her head from the sky above. Coba felt the rain as well as it began to pour down, and she shivered a bit. Assuming she was remembering the last time they had faced the villain Inque and managed to survive, Terry placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. However, although the young girl looked up and managed a small smile for him, she was thinking about something else. _The Cerestone's done something bad to Charlie, but what exactly has it done? Why can't I shake the feeling that he'll use it against us? _Coba wondered, feeling the cold fingers of dread grip her heart.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Once again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Since school started up again just yesterday, I likely won't be posting again until much later. I may work on a little Lion King one-shot involving my thoughts on why Kovu might not be in The Lion Guard, but I'm not completely sure yet.**

**The next chapter will wrap up the episode "Big Time," and the chapters after that will take place during "Betrayal." And, though I'm not sure yet, "Betrayal" may mark the beginning of Coba's solo crime-fighting career. This is still a possibility, however.**

**Thank you for your continued support of this story! Have a great day! :D**

**PS, although you do not have to, a review is greatly appreciated as long as it's not negative. Basically, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say it.**


	6. Chapter 5: Lost Innocence and Justice

**Author's Notes:**

**Yay! Something posted earlier than even I expected! Well, it's not the most uplifting either...**

_***Slap* Don't spoil it for us!**_

***Rubs sore side of face* I wasn't going to. I was, however, going to warn against some heavy subject matter, such as trauma.**

_**Nothing new there, though.**_

**True, true.**

**Without further ado, please read, review afterwards, and enjoy...**

* * *

At Agrichem, Richard Armacost was quite peeved about the failed heist. "You expect me to pay you for lousing up?!" he yelled at Karros. _Who does this guy think he is? I'm the one who hired him!_

Karros narrowed his eyes. "I've done two freebies for you already," he reminded his employer, "and I humored you bringing along that nitwit. You'd have your chemicals now if we did things my way."

The high-pitched sound of a tape recorder being played backward caused the two criminals to turn to the window leading to the balcony. To their irritation and surprise, the dark forms of two of Gotham's guardians were standing beside the now opened window. Batman was holding the tape recorder, then pushed a button to stop it. "Thank you," he said gruffly.

"No, not here!" Richie said to Karros as the violent man reached for a weapon hidden in his coat. Turning to Batman, the boss of Agrichem spoke again. "What do you want?"

"You just gave us what we want," Batgirl said darkly as she followed Batman further into the room. "When the police hear this, you'll both be linked to the break-in at Wayne-Powers."

"That'll never hold up," Armacost replied, confidence and humor present in his voice.

"Maybe not," Batgirl admitted. She pointed at the large CEO. "But it'll hold _you_ for a day or so."

Before either of the criminals could react, there was a loud banging at the doors. They looked at each other, a bit confused, as though asking each other if there was another person coming. In ordinary circumstances, Terry and Coba would have had a rough time keeping from laughing. However, as Batman and Batgirl, anything unexpected was dealt with seriously, and this event caused them to pause apprehensively. _What the slag is going on now? _Terry wondered in irritation.

As if to answer his question, the wooden doors were suddenly broken into splinters. A tall, disfigured man with tattered clothing emerged, his much larger left arm up as he had broken the doors. He glared at them. "Richie!" he yelled in a deep voice.

The man in question stared at the newcomer in shock. "Charlie?!"

"The growth hormone," Batman said, dismayed and surprised. He did not have to look at Batgirl to know she was alarmed. _Hang in there, sis, _he mentally pleaded. _Don't panic now._

Grabbing his electric blades from his sides, Karros jumped at the mutated Bigelow. Unfortunately for him, Charlie grabbed him by the wrists before punching him backward, causing him to go through a window. Terry jumped onto the desk, ready to leap off of it and on to his old friend. Not giving Batgirl any time to warn her partner, Charlie slammed the desk—with Batman still on it—into the ceiling. Mustering up as much courage as she could at the moment, Batgirl darted between his legs and kicked his back. This did nothing to stop him, but only made him more aggressive. Reaching back with his largest hand, he grabbed Coba by the neck and threw her into a wall forcefully. The small warrior slumped on the ground, the breath and much of her fight knocked out of her.

Now free of all other distractions, Bigelow went towards his former partner. "This is your fault, Richie! Look what you did to me!"

Armacost backed up nervously until his back was against a large glass window. "Now Charlie, none of us wanted this to happen to you." He tensed as Charlie grabbed him by his neck before smashing him through the window. "Gah! No! Charlie, don't!" he pleaded, growing more and more frantic as the now much larger man carried him closer to the edge.

"I protected you, Richie," Big Time growled, now holding his former employer far above the streets. "You said you'd take care of me. Instead you told that other guy he could walk all over me!"

"Charlie, please!" Armacost screamed again, his voice raspy from Charlie's hold on his neck.

"Look down there, Richie," Bigelow growled. "See how tiny all the people look? That's what you are to me now. You belong with them!"

At that moment, Batman broke free of the ceiling and desk, landing on the floor. He looked in time to see his half-sister throwing a cable about Charlie, pinning his arms and legs together, and then trying as hard as she could to pull him away from the edge. Terry ran over and helped her do so, both of them managing to yank him away and cause him to drop Armacost, who grabbed hold of the weak guard rail which in turn caused him to dangle precariously. Coba ran forward to get the cowardly Agrichem CEO. The sound of Terry yelling in pain behind her caused her to stop. She turned and saw Karros had slashed and knocked down the young Dark Knight. Brooklyn froze as Karros jumped at her and Charlie, intent on killing them both.

In that instant, Batman jumped back up and pushed Karros away. "Get Armacost!" he yelled to Coba.

Batgirl nodded, then turned back to where the man was holding on for dear life. "Grab my hand!" she ordered, reaching down to him.

Richie reached up and took Coba's hand, but gasped in alarm as a snap was heard and a shadow fell over the girl. Before Coba had the chance to get Armacost to safety, she was kicked off the balcony, causing her to be in the same position as the person she was trying to save. She struggled to hold on to him as his hand started to slip and her own starting to loosen on the guard rail, which was wet from the pouring rain. Batgirl became alarmed when she heard metal on cement, then the scream of Karros as he fell with part of the balcony. She and Richie yelled when Karros grabbed his employer during his descent, causing all three to fall.

"Batgirl!" Batman yelled, about to jump after them. He was forced to stop when a large shadow loomed over him and a large hand grabbed him by his neck. _Charlie! _Terry grunted in pain as Charlie slammed his head into the ceiling. "Don't do this, Bigelow," Terry rasped once his head was out of the ceiling. "I don't want to fight you."

"Of course you don't!" Charlie snarled, moving to punch him.

Reaching into his utility belt, Batman pulled out flash grenades. He slammed them into Charlie's face, causing the brute to drop him. Acting swiftly, Terry jumped on his friend to try to stop him.

During the fall, Coba managed to shoot a grapple line to part of the balcony. Before her line went taught, however, she felt the weight of the men she was supporting suddenly disappear as Armacost's screams were abruptly cut off. Looking down to see what happened, she was horrified to see that she was now only holding on to Armacost's arm, seeing the rest of his cut up corpse falling with Karros. A flash of lightning allowed her to see that his claws were bloodied. He landed hard on a balcony below and fell unconscious, his former employer's body landing hard on him.

Coba managed to let go of the dead arm as tears formed in her eyes. "No, please no," she murmured in horror. _I failed. I failed to save a life, maybe two. How could I let this happen?!_

A crashing sound from above caused Batgirl to turn her attention back to the balcony. She narrowed her eyes angrily as she realized what was going on. _Bigelow. You won't cause any more blood to be shed tonight. _At that, she had her grapple pull her up, then she climbed onto the balcony.

Big Time had stumbled backward through a window in an effort to get Batman to release him. The hero did not budge, so Charlie rammed his back into the wall, smashing Terry into it. Terry grunted in pain as Charlie moved forward before grabbing Terry and throwing him across the room. Batman hit the ground and rolled back, a bit dazed. Bigelow came at him again. "At least now, I'll get the respect I deserve!" he growled. He prepared to slam his largest fist into Batman. The Dark Knight braced himself for the blow as well as fighting his large opponent.

To the shock of both young men, a furious scream echoed throughout the room as its owner jumped between them and kicked Charlie backward forcefully. "Get away from my brother, Bigelow!"

The large man stumbled back once again, struggling to block Batgirl's furious series of kicks and punches. _Who does this runt think she is? Better yet, how the slag is she able to kick my butt like this?!_ He staggered onto the balcony, breathing heavily as the rain fell onto him. Batgirl came forward again, seemingly ready to hit him again. However, her eyes suddenly widened in shock. _Finally, she realizes who's superior! _He threw a few punches at her, but they were too slow as a result of his exhaustion. The small warrior dodged the punches, but slipped and fell on the wet cement. Batman came forward with a sad yet enraged expression on his face. With a single uppercut, Big Time fell to the ground.

Terry solemnly stared at the unconscious form of his former friend. "Ah, Charlie," he said grimly. After a few long moments, he turned to Coba, who was only halfway to getting up. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her to stand.

Coba accepted his help, but said nothing.

"Batgirl, are you okay?" he repeated, his voice more urgent than the last time. "Where are Karros and Armacost?"

Brooklyn looked down from the broken edge of the balcony, her body starting to shake with sobs. Following her gaze, Batman was shocked and disgusted by the sight of Karros and Armacost lying on another platform far below, the latter cut horribly. "Oh my God," he muttered. Looking back at his half-sister, he saw she was close to tears. It was clear that she had done the best she could, but in the end could not save them. _No wonder she was so ticked when Charlie attacked me, _he realized. Hearing the familiar roaring of sirens approaching, he placed a hand on Coba's shoulder. "Let's get out of here, sis."

The girl gave a small nod of acknowledgement, which relieved Terry greatly. He waited until she got onto the roof, then followed her. De-camouflaging the Batmobile, he opened it up and helped Coba get inside, knowing she was too shaken to buckle herself in. He got inside himself, then lifted the magnificent vehicle off of the roof. "Wayne, we're heading back to the cave," he said into the com.

_"You started patrol an hour ago,"_ came the gruff response. _"You've still got till dawn."_

"I know, but something's come up. Have Grayson meet us there."

_"McGinnis, what's going on?"_

"I'll explain when we get there," Terry replied tensely, hearing his half-sibling start to cry uncontrollably.

Bruce must have sensed the distress in Terry's voice or heard Coba's strangled sobs, for he did not ask any more about the sudden change of schedule. _"I'll let him know. Wayne out."_

Terry was surprised by the amount of concern in the old man's voice in spite of the short response. He turned the Batmobile to auto-pilot, then hugged his traumatized sibling reassuringly for the rest of the trip. "It's okay, sis. It wasn't your fault." He gently repeated his words, hoping Coba would calm down. To his relief, she relaxed, though only a little bit. "That's it, sis. We're almost there."

~!~

Upon arrival at the Batcave, Batman helped Batgirl out of the Batmobile before they took off their masks. Noticing Bruce was not there, they headed up the stone stairs that led to the manor. Coba became even more uncomfortable upon seeing that Bruce and Dick were waiting for them up there. She looked down guiltily as she remembered that Grayson was supposed to be teaching a gymnastics class that night. _I distracted him from his living, _she thought. Coba flinched as he reached a hand out to her, afraid that this would be the first time he would hit her.

Grayson, to the girl's surprise, placed his hand on her shoulder, then pulled her into a warm hug, having had seen how red her eyes and face had gotten from crying. Sensing her shock at this, he gently pat the back of her head. "It's okay, kid," he said quietly. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad you're okay."

Coba shakily hugged her grandfather back as her small body racked with silent sobs. Although she knew he and Bruce would want to know what had happened to cause her such distress, but her spiritual pain was currently too great. _I guess I truly am weak, _she thought, more tears flowing down her cheeks.

Wayne limped towards them from the kitchen, carrying a mug filled with a warm, strong-smelling herbal mixture. He held it to the girl. "Drink this," he instructed gently. _It will help you relax._

Knowing Coba could not hold it firmly yet, Dick held the mug to her lips. After a few sips, she was able to hold it on her own. She let Terry tell them what had happened at Agrichem, though she unsteadily filled them all in on the details Terry did not know. Bruce and Dick listened in grim silence, secretly alarmed by what the two young Bats had to face. They were relieved Terry was handling it fairly well in spite of having to fight his old friend, but were dismayed yet understanding of how distraught Coba was, remembering how bothersome it had been for themselves the first time someone had died on their watch. Once the teens had finished their tale, Grayson helped his granddaughter get to her room.

"Will she be okay?" Terry asked his mentor in concern after they had left.

Bruce looked at Terry grimly. "She will be eventually, but it's hard to tell if she'll fully recover."

"What do you mean?"

"She's gone through so much trauma already, and tonight held a lot of emotions for her: fear, sorrow, rage, and guilt." Bruce looked down. "It's not easy, let alone common, for someone to bounce back from that and be completely fine. But she will be able to get on with her life in time, and she's got a brother and a grandfather to help her." _And I'll do my best as well, though I'm not good at it. _"Didn't you say she was silent after facing Bigelow until you two told us what happened?"

"Yeah, but—" Terry stopped. "She spoke again. That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," the first Batman nodded. "One reason why I know she'll be alright."

"I hope you're right, old man," Terry said grimly, "about her being alright."

Bruce stared out the window. "She's stronger than she seems, and stronger than she thinks." _And I won't let her lose her sanity to this, even if all else fails._

~!~

Much to everyone's relief, Wayne was proven to be right. By early afternoon the next day, Coba was well on her way to recovery. Since she was already far ahead in her college studies, she was able to stay at home to get much needed rest and to recuperate from the traumas she had faced the previous night. Aside from an emotional meltdown early in the morning, the girl managed to keep herself calm, even though she needed a little help from her grandfather, whom stayed the night to support her.

At first, Dick, Bruce and Selina—the latter having been there since that morning to support Coba—were afraid that Coba would relapse upon watching the top news story. Much to their surprise, she smiled. Even though she was aware that there was a chance of Bigelow escaping from prison, she could not help but feel a sense of victory. "He's back in prison, Mom," she murmured, not realizing she was speaking aloud. "He won't be hurting anyone else any time soon."

Coba's smile disappeared after a moment. "Poor Terry, though. He was upset last night, and not only because of me. Will he be okay?"

Bruce placed a comforting hand on his youngest apprentice's shoulder, remembering how Terry had asked the same question about her just the previous night. "He'll pull through, Coba," he said quietly. "He's been through worse things, as have you."

Coba looked up at her legal guardian and blinked in surprise. After a moment, her surprise faded into understanding, finding herself relaxing again. "You're right."

_"All will be well, my daughter."_

The girl smiled, recognizing the voice of her long lost mother. _I believe you, Mom. Thank you. _She turned and looked at her grandparents and Bruce, giving them a smile of gratitude. Their smiles in response told her that they understood what she wanted to tell them. _Thank you all._

* * *

**Dark chapter to mark the end of part one of this story, huh?**

_**No duh! You killed Armacost and traumatized your OC even more! Now we have to keep dealing with her mood swings later on!**_

**I know, sorry. At the end of the episode, though, it never said what became of Armacost, just what became of Big Time and Karros. Which left some wiggle room, perhaps too much of it... **

_**I'll say!**_

**Never fear, my dear readers, for TRON0602 and I composed a special short to lighten the mood a bit. Prepare for fluffy adorableness!**

Alarms rang loudly from inside the Gotham City Bank.

Two figures, one feline and one rodent, made their way through the safes in the bank. One, the feline, a lion laughed maniacally, his white furry face surrounded by an insane green mane and a purple pelt and underbelly. "I gotta say Harley. I do love Halloween."

The other, a female rat with black and red fur and a white face, smiled gleefully. "Couldn't agree more, Mistah K! Er, I mean, Mistah J!" She opened up a safe, then pulled out the money and placed it in a bag.

"You know. This place needs a little redecorating as well." He started laying down boxes with his symbol on them. "Trick or treat."

"Trick or treat to you too," came a gruff response, a large shadow looming on a wall.

"Oh Batsy. I'm glad you decided to pay us visit. I'm sorry but we don't have treats to give." He laughed.

The clearing of a throat was heard. "Oh, uh, that's too bad," replied a squeaky voice.

Harley groaned. "It's just little miss Batrat, Mistah J."

"Hey!" Batrat snapped. "I'll show you little!"

"Bring it on!" Harley said, standing on her hind legs.

Joker cackled as he threw a pie at Batrat before blitzing away on a tiny clown car. Batrat dodged the pie, then bounded over to Harley, who stood in the way. Batrat stood on her hind legs before hitting at Harley with her paws. Harley hit her back, then leaned forward to try to pin Batrat down. The small Dark Knight managed to let go of her slightly larger and heavier opponent before dodging to the side,. She jumped up from the side, catching Harley by surprise and pinning her down. Batrat pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed them about the criminal's small wrists as the cops started to arrive.

Once the cops had grabbed Harley, Batrat pursued Joker in her miniature Batmobile. After a few seconds, she caught sight of Joker. However, she slowed down a bit, seeing something up ahead that would ensure her victory.

Joker laughed as his green mane flowed in the breeze. "This reminds me of some old cartoon. What was it?" Be pondered as he randomly kept throwing Joker-Gas grenades. " Oh that's right. Tom and Jerry. But in reverse." He chuckled as the chased party always got away.

To his surprise, Joker's tiny car was starting to get off balanced by sudden large dips in the pavement. The car stopped without warning as it hit a deeper pothole, causing it to flip forward a bit and launch Joker out of his seat…

...and into a large pile of garbage.

Batrat stopped her Batmobile beside the garbage heap. Getting out of the car, she went over to Joker and cuffed him. Placing a hind paw down on his back victoriously, her voice became gruff as she bellowed, "I am Cuteness. I am the Night. I. Am. BATRAT!"

"Hey! Get off my back!" Joker growled. "Those stupid directors pay if we get hurt."

"Oh, sorry," Batrat squeaked apologetically, stepping off of him.

"CUT!" Tron the co-director shouted offset. "I told you that he wasn't ready for the role, WNR."

WNR, the head director, shrugged. "Are you kidding? He did great!" She threw a steak over to Kali. "Well done, Silver King."

Kali grunted as he tried to wipe off his make up after catching the steak in his mouth. But as he kept rubbing he found that he couldn't. "Oh hell no. Who literally painted my face with legit paint?!" He roared with anger before realizing the same was true of his mane and he growled at everyone dropping his steak.

"Wasn't me," WNR replied.

"Me neither!" Teresa squeaked, alarmed by Kali's sharp demeanor, taking off her costume to display her nearly-black fur before hugging WNR.

"Don't look at me, Mistah K!" Cornflower said innocently, wiping off her make-up to reveal her charcoal gray and white fur before hugging and licking her owner's face.

Kali snorted before his eyes widened and he growled at his real enemy. He snarled at Thuraya who was smirking in the background. "I'm going to tear you apart."

Thuraya was alarmed by her great uncle's dangerous mood. "But it wasn't me!" she cried out before running for her life.

Little did Kali or poor Thuraya know, it was all a joke pulled by Cornflower, the Prankster of the Cage.

**Many thanks to Tron for helping with this. Everyone, if you haven't already, check out Tron's fanfics. His _A Tale of Two Kings _stories are fantastic, as well as his Lion King/Avatar crossover. :)**

**Thank you all so much for your continued support. Have a good day, and I'll "see" you in part 2! (Whenever _that_ comes out, that is. XD)**


	7. Chapter 6: Of Rage and Fear

**Author's Notes:**

**(I know, title's kinda poor...)**

**This marks the beginning of part two of the story: Betrayal! (And I recommend checking out that song by Halford. Even though it has screaming, it is a flippin' awesome song.) Motivation finally came after watching "Betrayal" and both parts of "The Curse of the Kobra" (the latter of which possibly being used for another fanfic I might do), and from taking a break from college.**

**Please read, review, and enjoy. :)**

* * *

**March 11, 2042**

The nightly patrol was uncomfortably silent. Even the inside of the Batmobile—which was usually filled with the buzzing of the police radio as well as the chatting between Batman, Batgirl and their mentor—was quiet.

Yet, each Bat knew why the others were silent.

Charlie Bigelow, aka Big Time, had escaped from prison just the previous night, twelve hours before he was due to appear in court against Coba. In spite of his crimes against the girl and her mother being a few years cold, Brooklyn managed to get a case against Bigelow with the help of Commissioner Barbara Gordon and District Attorney Sam Young. _But now he's probably after me, _Coba thought, _which is why Bruce and Terry insisted that I come on patrol. Though I'd wanted to anyway: hard to sleep knowing Big Time's on the loose._

_"__We need help, please!" _the radio finally crackled._ "It's a giant, he's gotta be 10 feet tall! We're on Route Apple-Baker 4, near the dam. Hurry!"_

"Hear that, guys?" Batgirl asked.

"Yeah, sis," Batman replied, disappointed.

_"__I heard it, too,"_ Bruce's voice answered gravely over the comms. _"Did you really think Big Time would lay low after going through all that trouble to break out?"_

"I had my hopes," Terry confessed.

"It would have been more sensible of him if he did," Coba said. "Then again, breaking out of prison isn't exactly sensible, since you'd get a bunch of cops hunting you down."

"You're starting to sound like you could be a criminal mastermind, sis," Terry dryly remarked.

"Helps to try to understand your enemy," she said grimly. "Though the best way to avoid being arrested is to not break the law in the first place."

_"__You're not thinking of going there, are you?"_

Bruce's question confused the siblings. "Of course we are," Coba said gruffly.

_"__Both of you, leave this to the police,"_ Wayne said urgently.

"Why should we do that?" Terry asked.

_"__Because, Terry, Charlie—Big Time—is your friend, and Coba has a grudge against him."_

"_Was_ my friend," McGinnis growled, speeding up the Batmobile to get to the location of the crime.

"I can handle my emotions," Coba said, hoping she was telling the truth. "I'll focus on the first aid of the victims, if it makes you feel better."

_"__It does, a little," _Bruce confessed.

Batgirl suppressed a sigh. She understood their biological father's concerns for them when it came to Big Time, and she felt bad whenever they disobeyed him. _It makes him worried, even if he won't admit it,_ she thought gravely. As she and Batman arrived at the crime scene, they were dismayed to see Bigelow throwing cops as though they were rag dolls. _Well, I'll be too busy helping them to really worry about facing Bigelow. At least I can keep my promise to Father about that._

Batman reached up and pulled down on the handles above him, causing himself and his half-sister to be dropped out of the Batmobile. Both braced themselves for landing, though they would land on different surfaces: Batgirl on the paved highway, Batman on Big Time. Coba went over to the injured truck drivers and police officers while Terry distracted Big Time. The large villain managed to land a few punches on the young man, but Terry was just getting warmed up. As Charlie came at him again, Batman jumped up and landed a kick on his gut, causing Big Time to double over in pain and thus allowing Batman to kick his face. To hold him in place, Batman threw multiple bolas with batarangs that dug themselves into the pavement.

Batgirl was aiding the last officer, whom had an injured neck, when she saw a police cruiser being started up. _That's weird. None of the people I've helped were in any shape to drive, let alone get up. _Her eyes grew wide with realization. _Oh, dregs. Bigelow has a partner!_ She had no time to warn Batman about the second villain as the vehicle came at her at full speed. Supporting her patient's head, she leapt out of the way, just barely escaping the car. Coba checked the cop's vitals to make sure the move had not killed him, and was relieved to find a pulse. _Thank goodness the strength of my suit worked this time, _she thought. _Otherwise, both of us might have been killed! _The thought reminded her of something. _Terry! _"Batman, look out!" she shouted as she turned her head to see him.

Terry lifted his head to see the cruiser was coming at him, but had no time to move out of the way. The vehicle knocked him away from the tethered Big Time, then the driver used its blasters to free the giant. Big Time jumped on board before the stolen hover car sped out into the night. Batman stood up and watched in frustration as it flew further out of sight. He turned to Coba. "Why didn't you warn me sooner? I could have gotten them both!"

His tone caused Coba to flinch a bit. "I couldn't," she said quietly in a tense voice. "I was busy making sure the cops and I didn't get killed by that cruiser."

Batman opened his mouth to yell, but then stopped. _Their lives are important too, _he reminded himself. "Oh," he said in a more silent voice. "I'm sorry, sis."

"I'm sorry, too. I should've done something."

"You did everything you could."

_But did I? _the girl wondered in confusion. _Or was I too afraid to face Bigelow?_

~!~

After a few more hours of patrol, the two Bats reported back to the Batcave. Terry removed his cowl as he and Coba neared the Batcomputer, though the small teen kept hers on until they got there. Without having to ask or even look at him, the siblings knew Bruce was disappointed. "He got away, huh?" he said in his usual groveled tone.

Terry and Coba looked down in shame. "Yeah," the girl said grimly.

"He had a partner with him, but I didn't see—wait a second." Terry looked up with a glare. "You're thinking I let him get away because he was my friend."

"I didn't say that," Bruce said defensively.

"You didn't have to!"

Brooklyn watched in dismay as McGinnis stormed off after his outburst. She sadly looked at Bruce after a moment. "I know you were thinking it, Bruce," she said quietly.

To her surprise, Bruce looked down. "So did Terry, but I knew it would hurt him if I said it. I guess it hurt worse when I didn't."

"I guess so."

"I understand how he feels about this, though—"

"I don't think you do," Coba cut him off with a sharp edge in her voice. "If anything was holding him back, it was his guilt for what happened to Charlie. Not the fact that they were friends. He feels Charlie's incident with the Cerestone could have been avoided."

Bruce looked at her. "And what do you think?"

"Maybe, but not in the long run, considering that he's a criminal," she replied. "If it wasn't Cerestone, it could have been something else that hurt him—or even worse."

"I agree." Wayne looked at her with grim curiosity. "You look troubled."

Coba nodded. "I feel likewise."

"Care to explain?" When his ward shook her head reluctantly, he understood. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, Father," Batgirl said quietly.

"Don't be, kid," the old man gently told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're right, though. I might make it harder on you." He looked at the clock on the computer. "You should try to get some rest," he advised. "You've got classes starting at noon."

"Okay," Coba responded. "Good night—err, early morning." Upon receiving a nod of acknowledgement from him, she went up into the manor and entered her room. _Would he have understood if I told him how I feel about my performance tonight? _Coba wondered as she fed her rat Ed and dog Ace. _No, maybe not. He'd say I did what I could, then ask me if I'm afraid of Big Time. _She washed her hands, then changed into her pajamas. _But I'm not afraid of him anymore. _As she laid down on her bed, however, another uncertain thought occurred. _Am I?_

~!~

The following afternoon proved to be a tough one for Coba. In spite of her attempts at meditating like Raven had taught her during the girl's visit to the Titans' Tower a two months before, Brooklyn could not get her confusion and anger of the previous night's events out of her head enough to concentrate on her college work, let alone to listen to the professors' instructions for the assignments. They had noticed her struggling and tried to help, but they could not get her to come out of her thoughts to do her work, so they suggested that she see the campus counsellor. Although she knew she had to talk to someone about her stress, Coba knew better than to visit the counsellor about this issue. _I may as well tell her I'm Batgirl if I do! I'm starting to wish I had talked to Bruce..._

Brooklyn immediately shook her head as she left campus. _No, that would have made things more disastrous than it was today. I know Grandmother would have gotten upset at the mention of Bigelow, and Grandfather's in Blϋdhaven at the moment. _She heaved a sigh. _And Terry's got a struggle with this anyway, and I don't doubt that he's talking to Max about it. I wish there was someone else I could confide in, like Terry still does with Max._

"Coba, wait up!"

The girl slowed to a stop and turned to face the speaker, but already knew who it was. "Mark?"

The young man in question sprinted towards her before stopping beside her. "Hey! I saw you walk by and a paper fell out of your bag." He held an item out to her.

Coba could not help but face palm at the sight of it. It was her schoolwork for the day! "Oh, dregs! Thanks, Mark," she said gratefully as she accepted it and placed it in a stronger pouch in her backpack. "You saved my butt."

_And not for the first time, _she mentally noted. Mark Wilson—a young vigilante named Silverstar—was the son of Superboy and Ravager, both former members of the Teen Titans. During her visit to the Titans' Tower, Batgirl had been captured by Red X to be killed by Cinderblock, but it was Silverstar's intervention that allowed her to live to this day. Afterwards, they discovered each other's identities and made it a point to stay in touch.

"Are you okay?" Mark inquired, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You look troubled."

It was hard for Coba to not feel more relieved by Mark's appearance. _Mark's more than trustworthy enough. After seeing me in action in Jump City, he's probably the only one who will get what I'm about to say._ In a quiet voice, she explained the previous night's events to her friend as they walked, including her own misgivings about how she handled them and about her previous history with Bigelow. "The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'm not afraid of Bigelow himself anymore," Coba added sagely.

"Then, what are you afraid of?" Mark inquired.

"I'm afraid that my anger towards him will get me to kill him."

Wilson nodded in grim understanding. Coba had lost control of her temper in Jump City while fighting Red X, and had come close to killing the villain. _And she nearly lost control before with Big Time, _he thought. "I see," he said. "But don't let your fear of yourself get out of hand. It may very well cause you lose control of your anger."

Brooklyn gave a small nod. Before she could say anything, the high-pitched howl of a hovercraft coming to a quick halt caused the two friends to turn their heads in surprise as a black car pulled up by the sidewalk. Two large men wearing black and green clothing and sunglasses stepped out of the car. The largest of the men, a bald African American wearing a trench coat, moved forward and grabbed Coba. "Hey!" she shouted, managing to slip out of his grasp.

The other man, a blond Caucasian wearing a muscle shirt, lunged at her as she got free from his partner's grasp. Mark quickly got between them and punched the man, causing him to stumble back. "Back off, dregs!"

The white man steadied himself and stood beside his partner as Wilson kept his friend behind him. "This doesn't concern you," the man growled.

Mark glared. "It does now!" _Coba, I recommend that you run._

_No, not this time. _Brooklyn stepped forward as the black man came at her again, but she flipped down onto her back and kicked him over her and into the wall. The other man came at her, but was kicked away by Wilson. The boy kept his senses about him as both men came at him, but only had to deal with one as Coba slammed herself into the smaller of the two villains, punching his nose as she did so.

The white thug stumbled backwards into the side of the car. He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth as he stood up straight. "Forget them!" he called to his companion, ready to get back into the car. "We already have what the boss wanted."

The second thug went to the car as well, though he was limping heavily. Once both thugs were back inside, the vehicle tore off into the streets. Coba watched as they left. _Who is their boss, and what did they get that he or she wanted? _she wondered.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked concernedly.

"Yeah, thanks," Coba replied. "But something isn't quite right."

"Who would want to send someone after you?"

"At the moment, I can only think of Bigelow, but—" Coba was cut off by the ringing of her phone. Her eyes widened as she read the caller ID, but answered it. "Max?"

_"__Coba?! Something's happened to Terry!"_

"Whoa, calm down," Coba said, though she was already feeling a knot form in her gut. She knew from Mark's expression that he could hear what was going on. "What happened?"

_"__We were on our way home from school, the car came out of nowhere, and—"_

"Max—"

_"__It didn't have a license plate, and—"_

"Max—"

_"__I tried to stop them, really I did, but—"_

"Max!" Coba said sharply, which to her dismay was the only way to get her friend to stop panicking. "What happened to Terry?"

_"__How did you not understand? He was kidnapped!"_

Max's exclamation rang loud in Coba's ears. The small teen looked at Mark with a shocked expression, which was identical to his own. _So that's what they were talking about... and they were just here... _"Oh, dregs," Coba breathed.

* * *

**Yep, I'm throwing challenges left and right for Coba... as usual...**

**The mental link Coba and Mark share is based on one Silverlynx13 developed while working on their own story to develop Silverstar's character, though it is likely that, since she can read minds, that Coba can eventually mentally communicate with others. Plus, though it was never made clear to me, it may be possible that Mark can read minds as well.**

**Mark Wilson/Silverstar belongs to Silverlynx13 and is used with permission.**


	8. Chapter 7: It's The Fear

**Did you miss me? I'm back! And I brought my pencil. :P (Lame joke involving Van Halen. XD) **

**The title of this chapter is a reference to a song of the same name by Within Temptation. I couldn't think of another title, and I don't remember if it was already used by me in these stories, so it's subject to change.**

**Many thanks for the patience, reviews and follows!**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

_"__Coba? Coba, talk to me!"_

"Sorry, Max, I'll have to call you back," Coba said sagely.

There was a sad sigh on the other end. _"I'm sorry, Co."_

"Don't be," the girl replied. "You did your best, and for that I thank you." She hung up when Max did and leaned backward against the nearest wall. Coba ran her fingers through her long, wavy black hair as her frustration grew. _He was right here,_ she thought. _I could've saved him!_

Mark placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Coba." He was silent for a moment, then added, "We'll get him back, I promise."

Brooklyn looked up at her friend and tried to smile, but failed to do so. "I know." She blinked suddenly as if realizing something. "Did you say 'we?'"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I know you'll want to go find Terry, but I won't let you go alone."

"Why?" Coba asked. "Are you afraid that... I can't handle it?" She had tried to think of another way to word her thoughts, but was unable to. _Now I probably offended him, or he thinks he offended me, _she thought with dread.

"No, it's not that," Mark said quickly. "It's just..." He trailed off, then sighed a little. "I feel responsible for his capture. He was in the car, and I could've—should've—done something."

Coba was surprised by Mark's revelation. She felt guilty for not taking her friend's feelings into consideration as she considered hers. "Mark, it's not your fault," she told him. "You didn't know he was in there; neither of us knew."

"Yet you keep beating yourself up about it as well."

She looked down. "I guess so." After a brief moment, she looked up once more, a determined glint in her eyes. "But we can't stand around feeling bad about it. Terry needs us now."

Wilson grinned a little at Coba's returned enthusiasm. "My thoughts exactly." He frowned as he realized something. "The car had no plates, though. How can we—"

"—track it down? We run a search of cars matching its description and go from there," Coba answered. "It'll be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but so is trying to find a single person in this city." She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, it's me."

_"__Coba! You're okay,"_ came a relieved response she was not expecting.

"Grandfather?" Coba said in surprise. "Where's Bruce?"

_"__He's on his way to Max's to get the Batsuit. I'm sorry about what happened to Terry. How are you holding up?"_ Dick asked concernedly.

"Fine. I'm with Mark right now. Listen, we had a run-in with the same kidnappers a little while ago. Something tells me this has to do with Bigelow somehow." She tensed as her grandfather went silent. "Um, Grandfather?"

_"__Coba, leave this to the cops."_

"What?" the girl asked in confusion.

_"Leave this to the police," _Dick repeated firmly. _"Come home."_

Brooklyn felt her patience wearing thin. "Grandfather, that's my brother out there. Do you really expect me to sit back while he's in danger?"

_"Yes. I don't you anywhere near where you think Big Time may be. He's caused you too much grief."_

"I almost didn't get a choice," the small teen pointed out. "I was nearly taken by the same guys!"

Grayson's tone hardened. _"I know. That's another reason why I want you to sit this one out."_

Mark could see that it was getting harder for Coba to control her temper, even though she was talking to one of the people who could calm her down. He watched as she took a deep breath and regained compsure. "I get that you're trying to protect me, but I've got to do this," she told Grayson. "I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone. _So much for asking for a search on vehicles, _she thought grimly. Coba looked at Mark. "Is there a place nearby that's secure?"

Wilson nodded, understanding what she meant. _A place to get suited up. _"My warehouse. It's only a block away. There's also a computer there so we can run a search of black vehicles." He led his younger friend through the streets, moving at a pace Coba could comfortably keep up with though faster than a normal person's stride. In the back of his mind, Mark knew that, with this kind of situation, moving slowly could be deadly for Terry. _And Coba knows this as well, _he thought gravely. _Otherwise she wouldn't have disobeyed Nightwing. At least, not in this manner._

~!~

"Coba? Coba?!" With a frustrated sigh, Grayson hung up his phone. "Why does that kid have to be so stubborn?" he wondered aloud, massaging his temples.

"From what I hear, that's a lot like how you were when you were that age."

Dick turned his head at the sound of the voice. "And who'd you hear that from, Herbst?" he inquired a bit irritably.

Aaron Herbst leaned back a little bit in his stance and tapped each finger of his left hand while his right index finger tapped them one at a time as he listed: "Mr. Wayne, Coba, the Batcomputer..."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Grayson groaned. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask Mr. Wayne where he wanted me to go, but... uh, you know... he's not here."

"I noticed."

"So, what brings you here?" Ditto asked.

Nightwing's frown got a bit bigger. "Charlie Bigelow's escape. I came over to try to give Coba some support should she need it, but Terry went missing and Bruce is out looking for him."

"Coba's looking too, I gather?"

"Yeah."

"And you're worried she can't handle it?"

Grayson gave the shapeshifter a hard look. "You sure ask a lot of questions."

Herbst shrank back a little bit. "I'll take that as a 'yes,'" he murmured.

"Of course I am," the one-eyed warrior confessed gruffly. "Coba said she thinks Bigelow is behind Terry's capture. He's caused her a lot of pain in previous encounters."

"I know," Aaron said grimly. "She told me a bit about her history with him a while ago."

"I'm surprised she'd talk about it at all," Grayson said. "Then again, she only would with those she trusts."

"So I've noticed," the other man stated. "Look, I get that you're worried about her, but she's worried too. She's worried Big Time will hurt Terry, herself, and even you and Selina."

"Then why go out there?" Grayson asked, though deep inside he knew the answer.

"Because she knows it's the right thing to do. Well, that, and she wants to prove that she can do it, so she won't be so scared the next time something like this happens."

Dick looked confused. "But she gets even more scared the next time it does."

Aaron thought deeply for a moment. "True, but I've noticed she gets more upset if others are upset for her, or about something she did. When we first met, for example—"

"You mean when you were working with Inque?"

"Yes," Herbst replied, looking down in shame. "Coba was frightened and confused when she woke up in that arena, and got even more so when Inque threatened her. I learned later that Terry had... well, he'd yelled at Coba, claiming she'd let him down and that he no longer accepted her as a sibling. After Inque was waashed away, Coba nearly fell from the roof. I sensed her fear heighten when the others expressed concern, especially when Terry flew up to save her." He looked up once more. "I've seen her in action on her own from her cowl's camera footage and her vitals' readings. Most of the time, she was calm and collected. When she was working with someone, though, or when she met up with them after even an alarming incident she'd likely handle better..."

Nightwing understood where Herbst was going. "Her anxiety was heightened." _It all makes sense now, _he thought. _On that roof in Blϋdhaven over a year ago, she was worked up about Bruce sending her away and Selina smacking her, so she wasn't completely able to fend for herself after nearly being thrown off the roof. In Jump City, she broke down in front of Mark, part of it because I had been concerned for her. _He sighed. "You're right."

The younger man was surprised. "I-I am?"

"_He is?_" Ed squeaked from behind through his communicator.

Ace growled a bit. "_Way to kill the moment, pipsqueak._"

"Yes, you're right, Herbst," Dick said with a nod. "Though I don't like the idea of sitting around while she's in danger."

"You don't have to," Ditto said. "These two and I can watch the cave."

"I know, but I can't go out there out of concern. Coba needs all of her focus on this."

"But you know she may need help at some point. I'm not saying you should go out just to make sure she's alright, but to give her support. You two did just have an argument, by the sound of it, and that makes things harder on her if she thinks you don't believe in her."

Grayson raised his left eyebrow. "How the heck do you know so much about her mind and emotions?"

"Observation and being told by Coba herself." Herbst knew what the older man was thinking. "And no, it's nothing like what you may think. She's not the age I like—I prefer people my age or a little older—and she's not my type."

"Good, otherwise I would've had to kick your—"

"_Hey, watch it!_" Ace barked. "_Not in front of Ed!_"

Ed gave the dog a rueful look. "_Oh, for crying out loud!_"

"Understood," Aaron told Dick. "Good luck, to you and to Batgirl."

Nightwing gave a small nod. He quickly suited up, then drove out of the cave on his Wingcycle. In spite of Herbst's statement about Coba, the older warrior could not help but be concerned for her safety. "I hope she'll be alright," he murmured.

~!~

Within five minutes of arriving at Mark's warehouse, Batgirl and Silverstar were suited up and already running a search of vehicles on Mark's computer. "Well, you were right," the young man said after a moment. "It's definitely like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"If only we could use a magnet in this case," Coba said dryly. "Any without liscence plates?"

"Hang on." Wilson typed into the keyboard. "So far there's been footage of five." An alert appeared on the screen. "We should check this area first," he said, pointing to one of the buildings one had gone into.

"At Main and 57th? Why's that? Oh!" The girl read the alert. "Laser fire."

"Perhaps Terry tried to escape, if that is where he's at?" Mark guessed.

"Doesn't sound unlike him," Coba said grimly, already turning to leave. "Plus, he seems to have a knack for getting shot at."

Mark quickly shut off the computer monitor and ran after her. _Lucky for us, it looks like there's a magnet involved in this after all._

* * *

**Wow, I'm on a roll with lame jokes, huh? :P**

**I apologize for the delay of this chapter. Writer's block and lack of motivation hit me pretty darn hard, as well as some family problems. Plus, my rat Teresa recently got sick with a tumor, which has also been occupying my mind. Like with all my rats before, I've been making sure she's as comfortable as possible until... well, you know. :(**

**As for Herbst's observations of Coba, they're pretty much what I've observed about myself. For example, I'm comfortable with starting a fire in the wood stove, but I get really nervous when Mom or Dad start telling me I'm doing it wrong and get tense, which makes it harder for me, and then it takes a few times for the tension of that experience to fade away. Plus, it gets hard for me to try to do what I know has to be done after one of them yells at me for something, then I get tense while doing it because I don't want to get yelled at again. This is also why Coba tends to get more and more tense as each story comes and goes. Well, part of the reason: the other is the stresses of being a Bat.**

**On a much lighter note, I thank TRON0602 and T2Angel for their reviews and continued support, as well as Silverlynx13 for their support (and for letting me use Mark Wilson/Silverstar: he's so awesome!) and everyone else who has been reading and following this story and others I've written. Also, check out TRON0602's stories and T2Angel's stories as well. Tron mostly writes amazing Lion King fanfics, while T2 writes great fanfics of various fandoms, including Batman Beyond.**

**Please leave a review below and have a great rest of your Leap day! (Or whatever day you're reading this on, just have a good one!) :D**


	9. Chapter 8: Secret Agendas

**Author's Notes:**

**So sorry for the delay of this chapter! Thanks for your continued patience and support. :)**

**Please read and enjoy...**

* * *

Fortunately for the young heroes, the building at Main and 57th Street was within a minute away by flight. Silverstar and Batgirl scanned the area for any unusual activity. It only took a few heartbeats for Coba's cobalt blue and copper-flecked eyes to pick up an alarming incident unfolding. _Silverstar, investigate where the laser fire came from,_ and be careful, she thought to him. _I'll handle Terry and Big Time. Don't forget to use the device I gave you!_

_Okay, Batgirl,_ Silverstar thought back with a nod. _Be careful as well._

Coba nodded in acknowledgement, then flew after Charlie and Terry. Turning on her suit's camouflage, she followed them into a dead-end alley, careful to avoid casting a shadow over them. She landed on top of a roof facing east so the setting sun in the west would not reveal her shadow. Coba suppressed a gasp when she saw Terry fall from a wall he was trying to climb to evade Big Time. _Oh no!_

Without a second thought, Batgirl turned off her camouflage and slammed herself into Big Time as he tried to grab her half-brother. Charlie stumbled into a wall with a grunt. However, he got a second wind faster than she had thought possible. He grabbed her by the neck, then slammed her into a wall and threw her out of the alley. She could not get up in time to intervene again as Charlie readied his fist to strike Terry...

...Only for it to break nearby glass.

"I can't do it," Bigelow said in a conflicted voice. "I don't care if he kills me."

Terry stood back up and looked at his old friend solemnly, secretly worried for his half-sister's well being. "Charlie, you have to go to the cops."

Charlie looked at the younger man. "I can't do that either. They're not gonna be able to protect me once the Major finds out I let you go."

"He doesn't have to know. I know the police commissioner; she's a friend of Bruce Wayne's. She can make it look like the cops caught you right after you left the hideout."

"But then I'll end up back in jail," Bigelow protested.

"What were you expecting? A medal?" Coba had to cover her mouth to stifle a chuckle at her half-brother's statement as she turned on her camouflage and got back to the top of the building. _A medal. Good one, Ter._

"I don't wanna go back in, Terry."

_Well, too slaggin bad!_ Batgirl thought ruefully.

"It won't be forever. They'll go light on you." Well, maybe not, Terry thought, considering Coba's got a case against him concerning the attempted murder of herself and her mother, not to mention the attempted rape of Natalie. "While you're in there, the doctors well be working on a cure."

"A cure?" Big Time echoed a bit sadly. He looked down at the glass shards on the ground, seeing reflections of his deformed face. "My dream of getting into the Big Time... kind of a nightmare now, huh?"

"Mr. Wayne has hundreds of scientists on his payroll. The best in the world."

"And he'd do this for me?"

"No. He's gonna do it for _me_." McGinnis started walking out of the alley. "Now come on: we're running out of time."

Charlie stopped him. "Wait. If something goes wrong, I'll be safer on the outside."

"Nothing's going to go wrong," Terry promised.

"But if it does—" The deformed man paused. "What if I stay here until you come back and tell me they got the Major?"

The teen paused and eyed his friend suspiciously. Seeing his misgivings, Charlie added, "Terry, I'll be here. I swear."

Terry regarded him for another moment, then sighed. "Fine. But you better be, otherwise they'll keep hunting you." He turned and left. As he walked by, he had to fight the urge to look for Batgirl. _I can't let Charlie know I'm associated with the Bats._ He briefly closed his eyes sadly. _Please be okay, sis._

Batgirl frowned when she saw Terry leave Charlie in the alley. Slag it, Terry! Why do you keep believing him? She studied Big Time from where she sat, trying to catch a thought or two from his mind that would tell her exactly what he was up to. _I know he's lying to Terry, but why, exactly, is he?_ "Silverstar, it's Batgirl," she whispered into her com-link when her mental link with the other teen would not work.

"Batgirl! Are you okay?" came Mark's concerned voice. "What about Terry?"

"Calm down, I'm fine," she replied. "Terry's on his way to the cops."

"You got him away from Bigelow, then?"

"Not exactly. It's more like Big Time let him go—or even sent him—to the police to turn in the Major. There's something more to this."

"And you plan to find out what?" Silverstar presumed.

"Yeah." Coba watched as the mutated man started to leave the alley. "Bigelow's on the move," she told Mark urgently. "I'll contact you later. Help the cops if they need it."

"Copy that," Mark replied sagely. "Be careful, Batgirl."

"Likewise." The girl shut off her com-link, not once taking her eyes off of Charlie. After making sure her suit's cloaking was still on, she followed the villain. _He's looking around carefully to make sure no one's following him,_ she noticed. _So far, he hasn't found me out. He will if he tries to hurt anyone, though, _she thought darkly.

After twenty minutes of walking and hiding to stay undetected from the rare sight of people in the area, Big Time came to a stop as he entered an alley near the bridge. Batgirl landed on the roof of a building nearby that was facing the sun so she would not cast a shadow. Still camouflaged, she used a hand as a sun visor in an effort to keep it out of her eyes while taking in her surroundings. _Looks like one of the places Terry said he'd hang out with Bigelow,_ she thought. _He's acting like he's waiting for someone. But... who?_

~!~

Back at the Major's hideout, the villain and his group were clearing the room of any evidence that they were there. "Everyone get a move on!" Major barked. "The cops and pointy-ears are gonna be here any minute!"

"We gonna leave without Big Time?" a dark-skinned woman with blue hair asked, slinging a bag over her shoulders.

"He's a big guy," Major said dismissively as he entered the elevator. "How hard can it be to find him again?"

Once the last of his thugs entered the shaft, the elevator doors closed. Within a minute, they had reached the main floor of the building and were already piling into a car. Upon exiting the garage, however, a disconcerting sight greeted them: several cop cars were lined in a semi circle around the entrance!

"No way they would've sent this many cops to see about some laser fire," Major said. "Someone must've told them we were here."

"Big Time?" the blue-haired woman asked.

Major turned to face her, his rage amplified. "He would never do that to me!" he exclaimed. "Never!"

"What are we gonna do, boss?" the blond haired muscle man who kidnapped Terry earlier that evening inquired.

The crime lord pulled out a pistol. "I'll tell you one thing: surrender ain't an option." Major turned and started firing at the cops, his followers copying him. In the confusion, however, he crawled away like the coward he was, letting his people get shot. He stopped as a pair of boots stepped in his path. Looking up in alarm, he recognized one of the people he had feared the most:

Commissioner Barbara Gordon.

Major glared and began to raise his gun at the commissioner. In response, Barbara smacked him with the loudspeaker, knocking him back down and rendering him unconscious. _That takes care of one problem,_ Gordon thought as she stood looking at Major's limp form, waiting for her men to come help get him.

The clicking of a gun caused her to turn to see another thug aiming at her. Before either could react, a black, lean silhouette came down and kicked the thug aside, knocking him out. Gordon looked at the newcomer in surprise. _Is that Batman? No, it can't be. Terry's right over there, and he's as shocked as I am. Could it be Dick filling in for the evening?_ However, he disappeared before she could question him. She looked at the two villains lying on the sidewalk while the other cops came to help.

~!~

A tall, muscular cloaked figure stepped into the alley a few minutes after Major was taken in by the cops. Although he was smaller than Charlie, Coba could sense some fear building up in the brute. The newcomer looked at the mutated young man. "Is everything coming along as planned?" he asked in a deep, scratchy voice that strangely sounded more normal compared to Big Time's.

"Even better," answered Bigelow, masking his unease.

"Better how?" the other man challenged.

"The cops are on their way to the Major's to arrest him. Or they're already there or wrapping it up."

The newcomer seemed to raise an eyebrow beneath his hood. "Your plan to bring your friend in didn't work."

"Not as I'd hoped," Big Time confessed. "but he's the one telling the cops. He thinks I'll turn myself in if he does, the fool."

_You're__ the fool,_ Coba thought.

An uneasy silence settled in between the two men. The cloaked man looked around at the roofs as if it was instinct. In spite of still being cloaked, Coba instinctively ducked before he could look her way. "This plan had better work, Bigelow," she heard him growl, "or you'll wish you'd never left prison."

Retreating footsteps followed, telling Batgirl that the man was leaving. She lifted her head to see Big Time clenching his fists. "We'll see about that," he muttered. He leaned back against the building's wall, folding his arms over his chest.

Batgirl was dismayed as she saw a familiar figure come in a few minutes later, but she stayed hidden and pressed something on her cowl. "What happened?" Terry demanded his old friend, entering the alley. "Did you chicken out?"

Charlie looked at him smugly. "I was never going to go to the cops. I only said I would so you could get rid of the Major for me."

"What?!" the young man exclaimed in shock.

"I was originally going to bring you and some other guys in, gradually push Major out. When you ran off, I thought of a faster way to do it. You see, the Major's got men all over the city. Now they're my men, and they don't even know I helped take him down."

"The commissioner knows," Terry pointed out.

"Do you really think they'll trust a cop?"

McGinnis was enraged by his former friend's confession. He aimed a punch at Big Time, who caught his fist and threw him out into the street. "You think you got it all figured out," Terry said as he stood up, his breath winded from the impact. "But you've forgotten one thing: the cure!"

Bigelow was even more amused. "Why would I want that? I like the way I look. Everyone gives me the respect I deserve."

"So even that was a lie," Terry murmured, looking down.

_Oh, _now_ you figured it out,_ Coba thought disdainfully as she watched on, though she felt bad for him. Although every part of her screamed for her to save Terry, she knew she had to wait for the right moment to strike.

"Yeah. Oh, there's something else I lied about." Charlie grabbed Terry by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground, pulling his free arm back to punch Terry. "When I said I couldn't kill you, I just didn't want to do it then. But now..."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**AAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDD another cliff-hanger. :Big surprise... NOT! :P I didn't want to add the final battle, since it's not finished yet and I wanted to get something posted tonight. **

**A few important questions to remember for the remainder of the story, though at least one will be revealed next chapter: **

**What device did Batgirl give Silverstar?**

**Who impersonated Batman while Terry was without his suit? (Something that got me about the episode is the fact that the villains weren't worried about Batman showing up. Plus, wouldn't it have seemed weird that Batman wasn't around while Terry was around?)**

**Who was Bigelow talking to in the alley?**

**What exactly did Coba do when she touched her cowl?**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter! It's gonna be explosive. :P Maybe not literally, though. XD In the meantime, review! I enjoy reading those. :)**


	10. Chapter 9: Attack of the Ghosts

**Author's Notes:**

**YES! THE FINAL CONFRONTATION WITH BIG TIME IS FINALLY UP! WOOHOO!**

**Warning, though: there is a character death. If you thought the death by losing an arm (Armacost (goes to prove doing illegal stuff can cost an arm)) was bad... well, you definitely don't want to have the upcoming death happening to you. That's all I can say, I'm sorry! (Except that it made me sick to my stomach as I wrote it, which is saying something. Plus it's kinda like Powers' incident in the first episode of the series.) **

**Enjoy...**

* * *

"Let him go!"

Batgirl flew down from her perch on the roof and kicked Big Time, causing him to drop Terry and stumble into the middle of the street. Bigelow was starting to recover from the shock when he was suddenly hit by a passing car. Terry and Batgirl looked up to see the car stop and the passenger window reel down, both recognizing the man and the brown backpack he threw out the window. _Bruce!_ Coba thought in relief as Terry grabbed his backpack and ran into the alley. _He got my signal!_

Big Time turned his attention to the car, catching it as it came at him again. He slammed it into a light pole. Batgirl got between him and her guardian, enraged that Charlie was about to kill Bruce, and slammed her fists hard against him. As her right fist collided with his side, Big Time grabbed her wrist. He thrust her across the road and into a wall. Batgirl gasped in pain as the wind was knocked out of her. She looked up to see Charlie was charging at her once more, but she could not get herself to move as memories of her previous encounters with him played out like a scene in a movie. _Oh man, don't panic now!_ she chided herself.

Brooklyn forced herself to roll to the side just as Charlie swung his fists down at her. The brute stood up straight, smirking at her fear-stricken face. Just as he reached down to grab her, however, he was kicked in the head, causing him to stumble backwards away from her. "Focus, Batgirl!" Batman instructed his partner/half-sibling as he dealt Big Time a few hard punches.

Bigelow stumbled back, but recovered quickly enough to catch an oncoming punch. He pulled Batman towards him and kneed him hard in the stomach, then delivered a head-butt. The villain threw the hero aside, causing him to hit his head on the pavement and lose consciousness.

"Batman!" Batgirl cried out, running over to his limp form. She did not bother to give chase as Bigelow took advantage of her distraction and ran for the bridge. _Oh, please be alright, bro!_ She quickly scanned his vital signs. His head had been hit hard, but luckily not hard enough to crack the skull. Though she was still worried about him, Coba glared in the direction Bigelow was running, moving to stand up.

"Coba."

Bruce had stepped out of the car and was now standing over her, placing a hand on her shoulder. His face was creased with worry. "Leave this to the police," he murmured.

Brooklyn gave him a look of defiance, shaking off his hand. "Not this time, Father," she said quietly. "Stay with Ter."

"You might lose control on Big Time," Wayne said in concern, hiding his surprise at her reaction to his previous statement. "Or worse; he could kill you."

"I'm aware," Coba said grimly. "But we can't just let him run wild!"

Bruce looked back over at the escaping villain, then back at her in defeat. "You're right," he sighed. "Be careful."

"I will," Coba said, but knew she would more likely than not break that promise. She turned, extended her gliders and pursued Charlie. _He's almost a quarter of the way across the bridge,_ she realized. _I've got to stop him before he gets across—wait, is that..?_

As Bigelow approached the half-way mark of the bridge, a motorcycle spun a ninety-degree angle, blocking the opposite end of the bridge. He growled as he recognized the driver. "Nightwing."_ How many of these Bat freaks do I need to break to get away?_

Charlie turned his head as he heard Batgirl's jets, grunting as she hit him hard in the jaw. Batgirl flew on as he recovered, but made a motion that gave him the impression she was going to try it again. He looked further down the bridge to see how far away Nightwing was. Seeing the vigilante was still a ways away, Bigelow started climbing up a support beam of the bridge. Once half-way up, he stopped and waited as Batgirl turned and flew straight at him. He narrowed his eyes, then waited until she was directly in front of him before pouncing at her from his perch.

With a quick jerk to the left, Coba swerved Bigelow's attack, then kicked his back as he fell past her, allowing him to fall face-first to the pavement. She glided down until she was a few yards away from where he landed. He stood up and glared at her. "Is that the best you've got, scaredy-bat?" he taunted.

Batgirl smirked mirthfully. "Scaredy-bat? I wonder how many brain-cells it took you to come up with that nick-name!"

Big Time gave a yell of anger and charged at her. Coba narrowed her eyes as he approached, forcing down the fear trying to rise. _I will not be afraid this time,_ she thought in determination. _Not to the point where I can't do a thing._ She remembered how her mother had attacked him when he was trying to kill Coba, and realized that was the rage she herself had felt when Bigelow tried to kill Terry. _That's it!_

Charlie threw a punch at Batgirl, but was surprised when she dodged and kicked his knee. He grunted in pain as she kicked his middle, then again when she slashed him with her suit's claws. Batgirl continued her fierce attacks, sneaking in a few Starbolt-powered punches. Bigelow felt his energy ebb away with each blow. _How is this runt beating me?_ He looked down the road, seeing Nightwing was just standing there, watching. "What are you doing?!" he yelled. "She'll kill me!"

To his shock, Nightwing shrugged. "Not my problem," he said, his voice filled with a venomous kind of dismissal.

With a great deal of strain, Big Time grabbed Batgirl by her neck tightly with his right hand, then gripped her legs with his free hand. He held her above his head as he bent a knee. "Now it is!" he said, smirking as he saw Nightwing shift disconcertedly. "Now let me go on my way, or Batgirl gets broken in two."

_I got this, Grandfather,_ Grayson heard Brooklyn think to him.

_How? He's going to break your spine!_

_No, he's not._

Before Dick could question further, Coba had activated the electrical barrier of her suit. Charlie bellowed in pain as he was shocked, the pain causing him to drop his captive. Batgirl landed on her feet, then jumped up and slammed her fist into his jaw. He stumbled backward helplessly, his legs failing to keep up with the rest of his weight. Coba's eyes widened as she saw where Bigelow was heading. "Watch out!" she warned, rushing towards him.

Bigelow gave a yell as he fell over the guard rail of the bridge. Moving quickly, Batgirl grabbed him by his left foot before trying to pull him up, Nightwing rushing to her aide. His mind still hazy from being electrocuted, Charlie was unsure of who was trying to pull him up. He looked up to see Batgirl...

...but then the figure changed into that of a dark-haired woman with angered green eyes.

"N-no! Get away from me!" Bigelow screamed, kicking at his "captor" with his free leg.

Coba had to move her head side to side as his foot came at her. "Stop! I'm trying to help y—_ungh!"_

In spite of her efforts to evade the kicks, Bigelow's foot collided with Batgirl's head. The small hero was knocked off balance and fought to stay conscious, but she did not release him until his weight pulled her forward and off the bridge. "Batgirl!" she could barely hear her grandfather shout as he tried to catch her, only for her and Big Time to fall further out of reach.

_Coba, wake up!_

The urgent voice of her mother brought Coba back to her senses. She quickly took note of how far she was from the water and Bigelow. Opening her suit's gliders and facing downward, she glided down after her adversary. She caught him just before he could hit the water. Charlie struggled, but stopped when he realized struggling at this point would mean falling into the river and drowning.

Without warning, an abnormally large wave came roaring at them. The wave began to tube over their heads before pulling them under. Losing grip of Big Time, Batgirl was tossed about by the strong current below. Coba kicked and lashed with her legs and arms to get to the surface, as her suit's snorkel was not working. She gasped for air upon breaking through, but swallowed water as she was abruptly dragged back down. The small teen got back up, grabbing a jutting boulder for support. She turned her head to see two figures on the opposite bank. _It's Bigelow, and his accomplice from earlier,_ she realized.

"Wait, please!" Charlie pleaded his partner, who was getting into an offensive position. "You still need me! Give me another chance!"

The man sneered at Big Time. "How can you be of any use to me when you couldn't even beat a crippled runt in a Halloween costume?"

The second man hit Charlie hard with a blast of water from his hands, some of the water getting into Charlie's mouth. To Brooklyn's shock and horror, Bigelow's body started to twist in agony, his voice caterwauling in pain. The bumps on his mutated skin began to turn black and break open to reveal boiling blood, the rest of his skin turning a horrid charcoal gray as it started to do the same. Charlie's screams died away almost abruptly before he was completely still. The wind blew a tab bit harder, causing his corpse to disintegrate and fly with the wind as though it were nothing but dust.

_Dust to dust,_ a sinister voice echoed in her mind.

In an instant Coba knew what caused Charlie's gruesome death. _Powers' nerve gas! But all that went down in the ocean with..._

The figure turned his head to face Batgirl. As he raised his hand, the small warrior was launched out of the water. She grunted as she landed on the bank, and again as he planted his foot on her chest. "Enjoy the show, runt?"

Coba glared, causing him to flinch in a familiar way. "Not really," she gasped. "I hope that wasn't special for me... _Fixx._"

Fixx glared malignantly, giving Batgirl a chill she knew all too well as she got a good look at him for the first time in over two years. His skin was formed by mud; his body was water-based with no bones, muscles or organs under the mud. Fixx's right eye was a fluorescent green while his left eye was still pearl white, though the scar below it now glowed the bright green. "Actually, it was," he replied darkly. "You are the one who turned me into this, after all."

"And you made me who I am now," the girl growled.

"I'm amazed Bigelow hadn't been able to kill you," he remarked. "A big brute like himself should've had no trouble dealing with a runt like you."

"You hadn't been able to kill me, either," Brooklyn gasped. A thought occurred to her. "I know you and Powers had him enlisted to kill mom and me long ago. Why have him help a second time?"

"I never said his task was to kill you. It would have been a plus, but not the initial goal."

"His connections with Major's men," Batgirl remembered. "You planned to take over!"

The villain chuckled darkly. "Smart girl. Of course, Bigelow had plans to take over as well. Since two leaders would be too much, I waited for the opportunity to take him down. Thanks to you, all it took was a little flick of the wrist." Fixx turned, flexed his wrist and fired a water blast at a tree to emphasize his last words, causing the large plant to wither and die from the poisonous liquid. He looked back at her glaring face. "You're about to experience it firsthand. Don't get upset; at least you'll be reunited with your dreg parents."

As Fixx turned to hit her with the water, Coba shot him with a Starbolt, causing him to stumble back away from her with a cry of pain. She sat up, coughing water up, then stood up before Fixx could recover from his surprise. "You're not the only one who developed powers since we last met, dreg," she snarled.

The villain covered the spot on his left side where the Starbolt had struck, trying to stop all the water from leaking out of him. His mud skin started to reform around his injury, starting one particle at a time until it was hundreds of thousands all at once. He smirked wickedly as Coba could only watch, too exhausted to stop him from recovering. "I thought you'd be more enthused about joining your mommy and daddy," he sneered. "Is your reluctance because you have so much to lose now?"

"Shut up," Coba grunted.

Fixx's malign smile grew. "Ah, you do."

Batgirl glared. "It's more like I have more who'll lose me. Not that you care. After all, you lost your own family on your own terms."

His smile faded into a look of shock, then his face contorted into one of rage. "Stay out of my head."

"I didn't have to get inside to figure that out, _Benjamin Carlson_." Coba could not help but smirk as his expression got worse. "I'd done my own digging over the years."

"Shut up. Shut. UP!" Fixx fired a blast of water at Brooklyn, who quickly dropped and rolled to avoid it. However, the blast had struck another tree, which fell over and pinned her to the ground. He strode up to her, glaring down. "I could kill you right now," he growled, raising a hand to do so.

"Then do it," Coba challenged, giving him a fierce glare.

After a moment, he lowered it once more. "But that would be too easy. Better yet..." He knelt down and grabbed the back of her head, getting his mouth close to her hood-covered ear. "I want you to live with the knowledge that I slipped through your fingers. _Again._" With that, he backed towards the river and seemingly melted into the bank and water.

Coba tried to wriggle free after Fixx disappeared, but could not get out from under the tree that way. To her relief, she did not feel any pain, nor did her suit pick up any injuries aside from bruises resulting from the fallen plant. Looking to the side, she saw a large branch that was within reach and grabbed it. She shoved an end underneath the bulk of the tree. Forcing the weight of her arm as well as some Tamaranean strength, she got it to roll the tree off of her. _Grandfather will no doubt be looking for me,_ she thought as she got up. _Better meet up with him._

A figure in the sky flew above Coba, then turned around and started to land to come in beside her. It was Batman! _But he's likely still unconscious,_ she thought. "Are you okay, Batgirl?" he asked.

Brooklyn recognized him. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, though she was still haunted by her encounter with her mother's murderer. She changed the focus so he would not press further. "The cloaker I gave you works great, I see."

Batman grinned and touched the center of his belt. His appearance transformed into that of a young man clad in a silver suit with royal blue trim. "Works like a charm," replied Silverstar.

"I'm glad it does."

"Ditto. And I don't mean Herbst," Mark added quickly.

Coba could not help but chuckle a little at that, though her expression remained grave._ Are you sure you're okay?_ Wilson inquired mentally.

_Not really, but I'd rather explain later._

Silverstar nodded, accepting the answer for now. "I saw Nightwing heading this way. Let's—"

"—meet up with him," Coba finished. "Exactly what I was planning." She face-palmed. "Sorry about—"

"—finishing my sentences?" Mark winked behind his mask. "Don't be. Let's get out of here."

* * *

**The Fixx came back**

**After a few years**

**Oh, the Fixx came back**

**Thought he was a goner**

**But the Fixx came back**

**He just couldn't rot away**

**Don't you know? The Fixx came back**

_**Seriously, WNR? You're making fun of that one Theory Of A Deadman song?**_

**Why yes, Thuraya, I am. Oh, don't look at me like that! You know I couldn't help it!**

_***Huffs***_

**Anyway, quite a turn, huh? And I might not even get on to that story for a long time! *Cries* Well, now you know what Coba gave Mark last chapter. And yes: that was Natalie Big Time had seen before he and Coba fell. **

_**Maybe Natalie didn't agree with Coba's quick decision to try to help him? Nah... More like his demons caught up with him.**_

**Perhaps, cub, perhaps.**

**Please leave a review below and stay tuned for the epilogue! Though that might take a while too... XD**

**(PS, I don't own the song "The B*tch Came Back" by Theory Of A Deadman. It belongs to the band. The parody of the song's lyrics was made by me.)**


	11. Epilogue

Upon meeting up with Nightwing at the roadside, Batgirl agreed to go with him to the Batcave. However, she also contacted Bruce and requested for permission to give Silverstar directions to the manor after he patrolled in Terry's place for a while longer, which the first Batman granted, though he requested for Mark to not be shown the cave just yet.

"What happened back there?" Nightwing asked in concern, referring to the events that occurred after she had fallen into the river.

Coba blinked grimly as she got into the passenger sidecar. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather wait until I can tell everyone. I only want to say it once."

Dick pat her shoulder in understanding. "Okay, kid."

The ride home was spent in silence between the two heroes. Coba sensed how worried Grayson had been about her since her fall from the bridge, and felt bad for causing so much stress for him. _I'm sorry for scaring you, Grandfather, _she thought to him as they were about to enter the cave.

Once he parked the Wingcycle in the entrance, Nightwing pat her shoulder once more. _It's okay, Co. I'm just glad you're alright. _He helped her walk into the lair, knowing she was more exhausted from the evening's events than she let on. Once there, she changed to her clothes and sat down in a chair with her suit on a table while Dick went over to Ditto, who was still in the cave but about ready to go on patrol.

"How did it go?" the shapeshifter asked. Noticing the older hero's icy one-eyed stare, he added, "Sorry, stupid question."

"Didn't you watch the screen?" Nightwing asked, gesturing to the Batcomputer's screen.

"At first, but then I got scared."

"Seriously?"

"No." Herbst looked at Ace and Ed. "They just dared me to say it. They wanted to watch _Zootopia_."

Ed and Ace looked down. "_Yeah, we did,_" they admitted reluctantly through their communicators.

Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you watch it on the TV upstairs?" he inquired.

"_The sound quality sucks on that one,_" Ed replied, "_and the screen's too small._"

"_The Batcomputer has surround sound and a big display,_" Ace added. "_It's like being in a movie theater!_"

"Oh yeah, like _that's_ what Bruce built the Batcomputer for," Dick said sarcastically, rolling his eye. He looked over at Coba, who usually chuckled at the animals' antics and his sarcastic comments. Instead of seeing her smile, he saw her looking more distant than before as she tinkered with her suit. _I wish she'd tell me what happened at the river._

Herbst pat the older man's shoulder. "She'll be alright," he reassured Nightwing. "She's been through worse, you know."

Grayson looked down. "I'm not sure about that," he murmured.

Coba looked up upon hearing what Grayson said. "I _have_ been through worse," she replied sagely. "I'd watched as I lost everything I had... and lost it again." _Because of the same man._ She looked to her right as Terry stumbled by after he had been tended to by Bruce. "How are you feeling, bro?"

"Like I hit my head on the sidewalk," Terry replied bluntly, lightly rubbing his bandaged head. "How about you?"

"Like I fell into a raging river," Brooklyn answered.

"That bad, huh?"

Coba shrugged, trying to dismiss what she really felt. "You could say that."

Terry pat her shoulder lightly. "Okay, sis. What're you working on?" he asked suddenly.

"Working on my suit," she replied. "I'm trying to add more sensors to help me moderate my powers and keep my moods in check. I got worn out from using them tonight."

"I bet. Did you stop Charlie, though?"

The girl paused, trying to think of a good way to answer him. _They had been friends. How can I tell him what happened? _The radio buzzed before she could speak, giving her a small sense of relief. Recognizing the voice, she answered it. "Silverstar?"

_"Hey Batgirl. I just finished up patrol. Nothing going on tonight. Still want me to come over?"_

"Uh, yeah, yeah."

Terry looked at her inquisitively. "Is Silverstar the one who impersonated Batman when I wasn't suited up?" he asked.

"Yeah. I felt it would seem strange if there had been no Batman with you missing. Silverstar accepted the cloaker, and voila! There was another Batman for as long as we needed."

_"You're better at it than I am, though," _Mark told Terry.

"Don't flatter him too much," Bruce cautioned Mark.

"Too late," McGinnis smirked.

_"Oops," _Mark added sarcastically.

"I take it we'll see you in a few minutes?" Coba intervened.

_"Yeah. On my way." _With that, Wilson hung up.

Dick looked at the others. "Field trip upstairs, anyone?" he joked, trying to have an upbeat tone.

"I'm not sure that I should," Herbst said. "I'm not exactly—"

"—part of the family," Coba finished. "Don't be ridiculous: you've been part of this family since you tried to defend us against Inque. Besides, you'll need to hear what I have to say." _Especially since it involves one of your weaknesses, _she thought.

Aaron was a bit surprised by her words, but he nodded and followed her and the others upstairs after they had all put on their civillian clothes. They let Mark in when he arrived at Wayne Manor's gate. Once they were all seated, Coba told them about what happened from when she fell into the river up until being found by Silverstar. It was not until she explained Charlie's death that she realized how shaken up she truly was; her body was shaking and her voice was quaking. She had to pause to regain composure, with Grayson and Wilson each patting a shoulder, before finishing her tale. "I'm sorry, Terry," she apologized sadly. "I tried to save him."

"Don't be," the teen replied sagely. "Charlie was beyond saving, I know that now. But I'm glad you had the guts to try, in spite of everything he's done to you. I don't know that I would've, after his betrayal."

"You'd done so before, though," Coba pointed out. "That might've rubbed off on me."

"She has a point," Bruce stated.

"Sorry to break up the touching moment," Herbst interrupted, "but what are we going to do about Fixx?"

Brooklyn had an immediate answer. "We must prepare for him to attack again, most likely with a gang backing him up. We need to keep our ears, eyes and minds sharp, and our reflexes sharper. Especially you, Herbst; his water could hurt you most."

The shapeshifter nodded grimly in understanding. "Guess I'll have to spend more time in the cave, practicing."

"You're not the only one," she confessed, remembering how she had gotten so worn out from using her powers and trying to fight the river's strong current.

Bruce, Dick, Mark, and Terry each nodded gravely. "You're both right," Bruce said. "Don't be so surprised, Herbst," he added at the sight of the man's shock. "I don't always think your statements are stupid. Just most of the time."

"Gee, thanks for that morale boost," Aaron snorted.

"We also need to be careful not to wear ourselves to the bone too much," Grayson added, looking at his granddaughter as he spoke. "Fixx doesn't sound like the type to go easy on tired enemies."

"He doesn't go easy on anyone, Grandfather," Coba stated solemnly, suppressing a shudder as she once again remembered what Fixx did to Charlie. "But you're right."

Dick paused, realizing she was correct as well. _He didn't go easy when facing my daughters, nor while facing my granddaughter; he tried to kill them._ "So are you, kid."

Coba pat his shoulder, sensing the inner turmoil he was feeling.

Several moments of silence passed before it was broken by Terry. "Fixx _will_ be stopped," he swore. "Even if he has an army of those gangsters to back him up."

"Yeah, but how?" Herbst asked. "If he's as powerful as Coba says, then he'll be unstoppable!"

"Not exactly," Coba said. "Even the most powerful of beings have a weakness. Take Superman, for example."

"True, but I doubt some rare-yet-somehow-easily-attainable-rock is going to stop him."

"For one thing, Kryptonite isn't _that_ easy to obtain," Bruce pointed out. "For another, Coba mentioned weakening him with her powers."

"I did, but it was only briefly," the small warrior replied grimly.

Mark looked at her. "Still, it proves that he's not unbeatable."

"Exactly," Bruce stated.

Batgirl still felt a twinge of doubt. _Fixx has always been a tough opponent for me, and not just because he killed Mom and Dad; he's physically much stronger. How can we possibly beat him?_

A new thought entered her mind. _Then again, Bigelow was tough as well for similar reasons. We beat him previously, and we defeated him tonight on the bridge. My powers helped me fight him and Fixx. Surely with more practice with my powers, and with the upgrades to my suit, I can play a role in stopping him for good. _"You're right," she said at last, a determined look spreading across her face. "No matter how long it takes, Fixx _will _be stopped."

* * *

**That wraps up this installment of the **_**Batgirl of the Future**_** series, folks! Couldn't help but add in Ed and Ace watching **_**Zootopia**_** (I LOVE that movie!) for the sake of a distraction from the others' bleak moods. And did Coba seriously have thoughts at the end about ending Fixx? Perhaps...**

**I dedicate this writing to my rat Teresa May, also known in a previous chapter of the story as Batrat, who passed away last month after bravely fighting a tumor that got large and hard to move around with. Rest in peace and paradise, little big girl.**

**As I traditionally do at the end of a story, I would like to acknowledge the following people for following, favoriting, and/or reviewing this story: T2Angel, Silverlynx13 (an additional thanks for letting me use your OC Mark Wilson/Silverstar), TRON0602 (it was his idea for Coba to adjust her suit to help with her powers, and for that and his support and friendship I thank him), Keeralie Starflight, 10868letsgo, AdmiralParis01, Colossal Squid, Sailor Sedna052, Taiski, mantale3, predatormlr, dream lighting, Lindsay738, and Mireilles3. I also thank everyone I may have forgotten to mention, and those who have been reading without following, reviewing or faving. Thank you all for putting up with my writing and weird plot additions and twists to **_**Batman Beyond **_**episodes! :D**

**I'm not sure when or if there'll be another story for this series. I have some ideas (including a _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ crossover), but I feel that I should be trying to focus on writing original works (like re-writing my first novel, which is still dormant) and my new job (though it's more part time). Plus, I may even start writing a _Lion King_/_Lion Guard_ fanfic. If I happen to get new BOTF stories written, though, then I do. If not, then sadly not.**

**Have a great rest of your day!**


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